®t|P  i.  1.  Hill  ICtbrarQ 

Nnrtli  (Earnltna  ^tnU 

Vet  Med     IntUFrflitg 


This  book  was  presented  to 

the  Veterinary  Medical 

Library  by 

William  M,  Adams,  D.V.M. 
Associate  Dean  and  Director 
Veterinary  Medical  Services 


dlallL^v*/^ 


1^ 


1/   ' 


•^      •  7 


■~:m^' 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  DATE 
INDICATED  BELOW  AND  IS  SUB- 
JECT TO  AN  OVERDUE  FINE  AS 
POSTED  AT  THE  CIRCULATION 
DESK. 


fit  ittcmoriam 


Heonarli  5far0on 


«oni  attattst  17,  1868;  DtrU  Ibcpttmijej:  20,  1909 


Matt  l^eterinarian  of  ^cnn^plbania 
1895^1909 


2Dean  of  Beterinarp  College  of  Bm\iet^itjf 
of  ^^ennjBfplbania 

1897^1909 


Contend 


PAGE 


Biographical  Sketch  of  Dr.  Pearson 5 

Memorial  Exercises: 

Edgar  F.  Smith 10 

James  Law. 14 

Thomas  F.  Hunt 21 

W.  J.  McSparran 23 

E.  S.  Bayard 23 

S.  H.  GiLLILAND 25 

Dedication  of  Leonard  Pearson  Hall 28 

Presentation  of  Dr.  Pearson's  Portrait 29 

Tributes: 

I.  P.  Roberts 31 

Simon  Henry  Gage 32 

Veranus  a.  Moore 34 

Juan  Guiteras 37 

Alonzo  Englebert  Taylor 37 

John  Marshall 40 

N.  B.  Critchfield 41 

Robert  Ostertag 43 

John  Hamilton 45 

W.  H.  Dalrymple 49 

Mazyck  p.  Ravenel 51 

J.  Bertram  Lippincott 56 

Samuel  McClintock  Hamill 58 

E.  S.  Bayard 60 

A.  C.  Abbott 62 

Duncan    McEachran 64 

Daniel  E.  Salmon 65 

Samuel  A.  Pennypacker 70 

John  R.  Mohleh 72 

Lawrence  F.  Flick 77 


€<mtti\t^ 


PAGE 

W.  Horace  Hoskins 78 

George  B.  Jobsox 81 

Bern-hard  Bang 82 

A.  LlAUTARD 83 

Faculty  of  the  College  of  Veterinary  Medicine,  George 

Washington  University 83 

American  Veterinary  Review 83 

Veterinary  Notes 85 

American  Veterinary  Medical  Association 87 

Alumni  of  School  of  Veterinary  Medicine,  University  of 

Pennsylvania 90 

Veterinary  Faculty,  University  of  Pennsylvania 91 

Trustees  of  Uni\-er3ity  of  Pennsylvania 92 

General  Alumni  Society,  Uni\t:rsity  of  Pennsylvania 92 

Veterinary  Medical  Society,  University  of  Pennsylvania.  .  93 
School  of  Agriculture  and  Experiment  Station,  Pennsyl- 
vania State  College 93 

Royal  Hungarian  Veterinary  College  of  Budapest 94 

State  Board  of  Agriculture  of  Pennsylvania 94 

Keystone  Veterinary  Medical  Association 95 

Pennsylvania  State  Veterinary  Medical  Association 96 

Pathological  Society  of  Pennsylvania 97 

Pennsylvania  Work  Horse  Parade  Association 98 

Pennsylvania  Li\'e  Stock  Sanitary  Board 99 

Hentiy  Phipps  Institute 99 

New  York  State  Veterinary  Medical  Society 99 

New  York  County  Veterinary  Medical  Association 101 

Massachusetts  Veterinary  Association 102 

Minnesota  State  Veterinary  Medical  Association 102 

Alpha  Psi  Chapter  of  Cm  Psi  Fraternity 103 


OBiogtapi^ical  ^feetci^  of  ®r*  leonaru  pzav^on 

2&P  Clarence  ^.  a^ar^l)aU,  r^.^^W. 

Profr00or  of  Setcrtnarp  iHeHitine,  ^niber^ttp  of  {JcnncipDiania,  anli 
^tate  ©etcrtnartan  of  pcnneplbama 

Dr.  Leonard  Pearson  was  born  in  Evansville,  Indiana,  Aug- 
ust 17,  1868.  His  parents  were  Leonard  and  Lucy  Small 
(Jones)  Pearson,  who  were  of  Puritan  ancestry.  He  died  at 
Spruce  Brook,  Newfoundland,  Monday  morning,  September  30, 
1909. 

Much  of  his  early  education  was  by  home  instruction  from 
his  mother.  In  1884  he  entered  Cornell  University,  and  was 
graduated  in  1888  as  a  bachelor  of  science  in  the  agricultural 
course.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Chi  Psi  Fraternity  and  the 
society  of  the  Sigma  Xi.  While  at  Cornell  he  became  interested 
in  veterinary  work,  and  in  1887  he  was  employed  by  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture  under  Professor  James  Law, 
his  life-long  friend,  in  assisting  to  stamp  out  contagious  pleuro- 
pneumonia of  cattle  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago. 

He  graduated  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  depart- 
ment of  veterinary  medicine,  with  the  class  of  1890.  The 
following  years  of  1890-91  he  attended  lectures  in  the  veter- 
inary schools  of  Berlin  and  Dresden  and  studied  bacteriology 
in  Koch's  laboratory  and  in  the  laboratoi7  of  the  veterinary 
department  of  the  German  army.  On  his  return  to  America, 
he  was  elected  assistant  professor  of  theory  and  practice  of 
veterinary  medicine  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
in  1894  was  promoted  to  a  full  professorship.  In  1897  he  was 
elected  dean  of  this  institution,  a  position  which  he  filled  with 
conspicuous  ability.  In  recognition  of  his  research  work,  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  in  1908,  conferred  on  him  the 
5 


3^n  :ff^tmotiam 


honorary  degree  of  doctor  of  medicine.  In  189'^  he  was  ap- 
pointed non-resident  lecturer  on  veterinary  science  at  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  College. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Seventh  International  Congress  of 
Hygiene  and  Demography,  held  in  London  in  1891,  and  of  the 
Third  International  Congress  for  the  Study  of  Tuberculosis 
that  met  in  Paris  in  1898.  In  recognition  of  the  services 
rendered  in  the  study  of  animal  tuberculosis  he  was  chosen 
to  preside  over  the  section  on  animal  tuberculosis  at  the  congress 
held  in  Washington  in  1908. 

He  was  one  of  the  founders  and  editors  of  the  Veterinary 
Magazine,  as  well  as  the  author  of  numerous  papers  on  veter- 
inary and  sanitary  subjects.  He  was  a  prolific  writer  and  con- 
tributor to  the  literary  field  of  veterinary  sciences,  the  domain 
of  agriculture,  the  stock-breeding  interests  and  the  whole  realm 
of  animal  industry,  justly  earning  for  himself  the  proud  title 
of  the  leading  "  animal  engineer  "  of  America. 

As  secretary,  then  president,  he  filled  the  highest  offices  in 
the  American  Veterinary  Medical  Association,  and  served  two 
terms  as  president  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Veterinary  Medical 
Association;  the  same  may  be  said  of  him  in  reference  to  the 
Keystone  Veterinary  Medical  Society.  He  was  an  active  mem- 
ber and  past  president  of  the  Guernsey  Cattle  Club  of  Phila- 
delphia, a  member  of  the  Penns3'-lvania  Live  Stock  Breeders' 
Association,  State  Grange,  the  American  Public  Health  Asso- 
ciation, Philadelphia  City  Board  of  Health,  advisory  member 
of  the  State  Board  of  Health,  and  veterinarian  to  the  State 
Board  of  Agriculture.  He  was  a  member  of  Ivanhoe  Lodge, 
F.  and  A.  M.,  and  an  active  member  of  the  Harrisburg  Club, 
the  Univei-sity  Club  and  the  West  Philadelphia  Eepublican 
Club.  In  all  these  organizations  his  genial  manner  won  him 
hosts  of  friends.  He  was  active  and  aggressive  in  his  asso- 
ciation work  and  furnished  most  valuable  assistance  in  their 
management  and  government.  He  organized  the  Pennsylvania 
State  Live  Stock  Sanitary  Board  in  1895  and  was  appointed 


fteonarU  ^ear^on 


its  secretary  and  state  veterinarian  by  Governor  Hastings,  to 
which  office  he  was  reappointed  by  each  succeeding  governor. 

Dr.  Pearson's  illness  dates  back  two  years  or  more,  when 
his  family  and  friends  became  aware  of  the  fact  that  his 
manifold  duties  and  responsibilities  were  telling  on  him.  With 
his  energy  already  taxed  to  the  utmost,  his  exhausted  condition 
was  greatly  aggravated  by  the  additional  worry  and  effort  in- 
cident to  the  outbreak  of  foot-and-mouth  disease  in  Pennsyl- 
vania in  the  early  part  of  the  winter  of  1908-09.  This,  com- 
bined with  his  effort  in  securing  from  the  last  legislature  much- 
needed  appropriations  for  buildings  and  maintenance  for  the 
veterinar}^  school,  and  also  funds  for  the  administration  of  the 
work  of  the  State  Live  Stock  Sanitar}"  Board,  called  forth  the 
limit  of  his  capacity.  With  this  marvellous  amount  of  work 
accomplished,  it  was  arranged  to  relieve  him  of  much  of  the 
routine  work  of  his  official  duties. 

At  this  time  both  Dr.  Pearson  and  his  mother  narrowly 
escaped  asphyxiation,  an  accident  caused  by  a  fainting  spell 
which  Dr.  Pearson  experienced  while  caring  for  his  mother, 
who  was  ill.  After  recovering  sufficiently  from  the  acute  effects 
of  the  gas  poisoning,  he  was  persuaded  to  take  the  rest  which 
up  to  this  time  he  had  considered  impossible.  He  decided 
upon  a  sea  voyage,  a  form  of  recreation  to  which  he  was  most 
partial,  and,  accordingly,  sailed  on  a  coast  line  steamer  for 
Savannah  in  the  early  part  of  July.  On  his  return  he  imme- 
diately embarked  for  England,  returning  by  way  of  Halifax, 
where,  on  the  advice  of  his  physicians  and  friends,  he  decided 
to  remain  for  an  indefinite  period.  On  account  of  an  attack 
of  hay-fever  he  went  to  Newfoundland,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  was  sojourning  at  the  Log  Cabin,  Spruce  Brook,  a 
secluded  place  on  the  southwest  shore  of  Newfoundland,  where, 
it  is  said,  this  disease  does  not  exist.  The  latest  communica- 
tions received  from  him  indicated  that  he  was  improving  and 
that  he  hoped  to  be  able  to  return  to  his  office  in  Philadelphia 
witliin  a  short  time.  It  was  gratifying  to  learn  that  he  had 
7 


9^n  JWiemoriam 


received  the  best  attention,  medical  and  otherwise,  during  his 
stay  at  the  Log  Cabin,  wliich  was  found  to  be  an  ideal  place 
for  rest  and  recuperation. 

Dr.  Pearson  commanded  the  implicit  confidence  of  all  our 
people,  from  the  governors  to  tlie  most  humble  farmers.  Few 
men  were  better  known  throughout  our  commonwealth  and  none 
was  more  respected.  By  those  interested  with  him  in  the 
veterinary  department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  the 
State  Live  Stock  Sanitary  Board  and  similar  organizations  with 
which  his  work  has  been  so  intricately  woven,  his  loss  is  felt 
with  the  keenest  sorrow. 

He  knew  how  to  think,  speak  and  write,  was  conscientious, 
farsighted,  honest,  possessed  good  judgment  and  enjoyed  the 
general  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  a  captivating 
orator,  precise,  methodical  and  clear,  and  possessed  to  a  high 
degree  the  gift  of  analysis,  synthesis  and  generalization.  The 
many  abstract  and  complex  problems  filtered  through  his  mind 
as  a  pure  crystal.  Speaking  or  writing,  he  reflected  the  ex- 
ceptional qualities  of  his  beautiful  intellect.  There  was  exact- 
ness and  faithfulness  to  the  rules  of  our  language  and  a  per- 
fect fitness  of  words  to  express  ideas  in  every  sentence  he  used. 
Dr.  James  G.  Rutherford  has  well  said  of  him : 

"T)r.  Pearson  was  in  a  class  by  himself  among  the  veter- 
inarians of  this  continent,  while  even  in  the  Old  World  there 
are  few  who  rank  anywhere  near  him.  He  was  not  only  a 
great  veterinarian,  but  a  great  man  in  many  other  ways,  and 
one  who,  had  he  been  spared,  would  have  made  a  well-defined 
mark  on  the  national  life  of  his  own  as  well  as  on  that  of  other 
countries." 

His  work  has  been  unique  in  character  from  the  fact  that 
through  his  conception  most  of  it  has  been  created.  Much  of 
it  has  been  completed,  the  greater  portion  planned,  and  years 
of  intelligent  application  will  be  required  to  carry  it  to  a 
successful  fruition.  May  the  same  all-wise  Providence  who,  in 
His  infinite  wisdom,  has  removed  this  man  in  the  prime  of 
life,  direct  those  who  are  to  take  up  his  many  burdens. 


Heonarb  ^tav^tm 


Next  to  the  members  of  his  immediate  family  and  personal 
friends,  it  is  our  profession,  over  which  his  glory  has  thrown 
a  splendor  so  bright,  that  will  feel  his  loss  most  deeply.  He 
was  pleasant  and  affable  in  manner,  generous  in  nature,  thought- 
ful and  considerate  of  others  at  all  times,  and  has  won  a 
coveted  place  among  the  members  of  his  chosen  profession.  In 
the  discharge  of  great  responsibilities,  full  measure  of  which 
he  always  accepted,  he  fulfilled  every  hope,  and  a  nation's 
people  have  become  his  debtor.  He  has  given  his  life  in  un- 
selfish services  for  others. 


jmemorial  tvnci^t^ 

htin  in  |)ott«ton  ^all,  ^ntberGittp  of  pcnneplbanla,  on  WttinttiUf, 
Jcbruarp  2,  l9lO,  at  8  p.jH. 

Hon.  W.  C.  Norton,  Chairman:  We  are  assembled  here 
to-night  to  pay  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  late  Dr.  Pearson. 
I  could  not  talk  to-night,  for  my  heart  goes  out  to  that  loved  one 
who  has  gone  from  us.  I  will  first  introduce  Dr.  Edgar  F. 
Smith,  Vice-Provost  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 

Vice-Provost  Smith:  I  am  only  too  glad  to  have  the 
opportunity  of  saying  a  few  words  about  our  friend,  Leonard 
Pearson.  Since  I  was  asked  some  weeks  ago  by  the  boys  of 
the  veterinary  department  to  speak  to  them  about  him,  other 
thoughts  in  regard  to  him  have  come  to  me,  which,  perhaps, 
it  will  be  proper  for  me  to  utter  here. 

I  learned  to  know  Dr.  Pearson  after  he  had  taken  his  degree 
in  this  university.  I  knew  him,  first  of  all,  at  a  period  in  his 
life  when  his  thoughts  were  devoted  to  some  of  the  great  prob- 
lems of  the  profession  upon  which  he  had  entered.  One  of 
the  ambitions  of  his  life  was  to  create  here  in  this  vicinity  a 
school  to  train  men  who  would  lift  his  chosen  profession  to 
the  very  highest  plane.  He  thought,  too,  of  the  problems  which, 
arising  all  about  him,  were  calling  for  solution,  a  solution  to 
be  reached  only  through  the  efforts  of  trained  men.  I  was  with 
him  many  times  when  he  was  pursuing  his  studies  in  those 
unsightly  buildings  which  long  ago  stood  near  by — the  old 
veterinary  department.  While  I  could  not  follow  him  in  all 
the  details,  I  was  able  to  comprehend  some  of  the  things 
which  he  was  striving  to  solve,  and  from  that  moment  my 
heart  went  out  to  him.  He  was  giving  most  unselfishly  a 
work  which  appealed  strongly  to  him,  a  work  which,  in  the 
end,  was  to  redound  to  the  good  of  his  fellow-man. 
10 


Eeonarti  ^ear^^on 


To  me,  Leonard  Pearson  was  the  embodiment  of  unselfish- 
ness; he  was  not  a  self-seeker.  His  thought  was  constantly  for 
others.  I  try  to  recall  whether  at  any  time  I  ever  heard  him 
say,  "  I  did  this  thing,"  and  I  fail  to  recall  such  a  statement 
from  his  lips.  "  The  thing  was  done "  was  an  expression  he 
often  used.  "  Such  and  such  a  problem  has  been  considered 
and  been  solved,"  but,  to  judge  from  his  words,  no  one  would 
have  for  a  moment  thought  he  was  connected  with  the  solution 
of  that  problem  or  undertaking.  He  was  not  a  self-seeker.  He 
was  a  simple-hearted,  broad-minded  gentleman  and  student.  He 
not  only  sought  to  do  the  work  that  came  to  him  day  after 
day  as  a  teacher,  but  he  endeavored  to  extend  the  confines  of 
human  knowledge.  He  engaged  in  research  along  the  lines 
which  showed  themselves  constantly  in  this,  his  chosen  pro- 
fession, 

I  found  him  to  be  a  clear,  earnest,  enthusiastic  teacher.  I 
shall  never  forget  the  hours  that  we  spent  together  walking 
up  and  down  Walnut  Street  from  Thirty-fourth  to  Thirty-eightli 
— many  times  as  late  as  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  some- 
times later.  Nor  shall  I  forget  the  hours  that  we  spent  there 
in  one  of  our  offices,  talking  over  the  elevation  of  the  veterinary 
profession,  the  lifting  up  of  this  school  of  which  he  was  a 
graduate,  of  which  he  was  the  dean,  of  which  he  was  the  master 
mind.  Those  things  all  worked  constantly  with  him.  When- 
ever we  were  together,  it  would  not  be  long  before  we  fell  into 
conversation  relating  to  this  thing  so  near  to  his  heart.  I 
often  wished  that  I  had  it  within  my  power  to  give  him  that 
wealth  which  was  so  necessary  to  accomplish  those  ideals  con- 
stantly before  him.  Many  times  I  have  said,  "  Leonard,  old 
fellow,  if  I  just  had  the  means  you  should  have  them  and 
you  might  go  ahead  then  and  do  as  you  saw  fit  in  extending 
your  work." 

As  a  man,  I  think  he  was  a  man  among  men.  Many  times 
we  were  placed  in  trjdng  positions  together.  In  the  exasperating 
matters  which  frequently  arose  he  was  always  calm,  collected 
11 


3Fn  ;jHemoriam 


and  cool,  and  there  never  dropped  from  his  lips  a  hasty,  un- 
kind, harsh  word  in  regard  to  anyone.  Upon  two  or  three 
occasions  when  it  seemed  to  me  that  it  was  almost  impossible 
to  refrain  from  criticism  of  others,  this  noble  man,  in  the 
face  of  words  that  burned  deep  into  the  heart  of  everj'one 
present,  was  absolutely  unmoved,  and,  with  a  smile  spreading 
over  his  face,  spoke  only  gentle,  kind  words.  It  is  but  natural, 
then,  that  he  won  for  himself  the  friendship  and  regard  which 
such  conduct  will  always  develop. 

He  was  beloved  by  men.  He  understood  men.  He  was  a 
student,  an  earnest  student,  one  who,  through  his  investigations, 
conitributed  much  to  the  development  of  his  particular  field 
of  medicine.  As  a  teacher  he  was  clear  and  enthusiastic,  and 
aroused  the  interest  of  his  students  in  the  subject  before  them. 

Some  of  us  know  that  at  one  period  in  his  life  he  was  called 
to  what  is  regarded  as  the  highest  position  which  can  be  held 
by  a  veterinarian  in  this  country.  To  my  question,  "Are  you 
going,  Leonard  ? "  his  answer  was,  "  If  it  were  not  for 
this  school."  That  school  filled  his  heart;  it  was  his  constant 
thought,  day  and  night.  "  What  is  it,"  I  asked,  "  that  you 
are  striving  to  do  ?  "  "  To  build  up  here  in  our  country  the 
best  school  of  veterinary  medicine  that  we  can  possibly  have; 
to  send  out  men  from  that  school  into  all  parts  of  this  country 
who  shall  stand  for  the  best  things  in  veterinary  medicine, 
men  who  will  not  only  prosecute  their  work  as  veterinarians  in 
the  noblest  manner,  but  men  who  will  also  endeavor  to  do 
something  for  themselves  or  for  all  with  whom  they  come  in 
contact."  And,  while  we  all  know  what  he  has  done  for  you, 
what  he  has  done  for  all  persons  who  come  in  contact  with  the 
subjects  of  veterinary  medicine,  I  feel  certain  that  he  had  no 
ambitions  for  himself.  It  was  for  this  school,  and  for  those 
who  went  out  from  it,  and  for  his  fellow-veterinarians  all 
over  the  country,  whether  they  were  graduates  of  our  school 
or  not,  that  he  strove. 

He  was  the  highest  type  of  a  gentleman.  As  I  go  about 
12 


Heonacti  ^earjeion 


our  veterinary  school  and  note  the  great  development  for  good 
which  has  taken  place  in  the  department  since  the  day  he 
assumed  the  deanship  of  that  school,  I  am  devoutly  thankful 
that  it  was  possible  for  us  to  have  had  with  us  a  man  of  his 
type,  his  training,  and  his  ideals.  He  was  an  example  to  every- 
one with  whom  he  came  in  personal  contact.  I  feel  that  that 
veterinary  school  of  ours  is  a  monument  to  Leonard  Pearson. 
I  question  whether  without  his  unselfish,  self-sacrificing  efforts 
Math  the  men  who  control  the  politics  of  tliis  state  it  would 
have  been  possible  for  us  to  enjoy  what  we  have  to-day  at  this, 
his  school.  And  yet,  he  never  claimed  it.  He  never  spoke  of 
"  My  school,"  "  My  department."  He  spoke  of  the  veterinaiy 
school  of  the  university.  Taking  his  own  words  alone,  one 
would  imagine  that  he  had  had  very  little  to  do  with  the 
school,  that  perhaps  others  had  done  this,  and  that  he  had 
contributed  in  a  minor  sort  of  way.  The  fact  is,  however, 
that  he  did  the  major  part  of  the  work. 

There  are  with  us  this  evening  those  of  his  immediate  family, 
and  I  wish  I  might  say  something  of  the  manner  in  which  he 
spoke  so  frequently  to  me  of  them  in  connection  with  his  life's 
work.  Many  times  he  would  say :  "  I  must  telephone  my 
sister.  She  is  waiting  to  hear  what  has  been  done.  She  is 
waiting  to  do  this  or  that  upon  which  we  agreed  before  I  left 
home  in  case  this  or  that  occurred."  And  then  the  tender 
manner  in  which  he  spoke  of  the  dear  mother,  whose  interests 
were  centred  in  the  home.  I  am  sure  that  that  little  family 
group  was  keenly  alive  to  the  great  work  which  this  son  of  the 
family  was  doing.  They  knew  better  than  others  the  personal 
sacrifices  being  made  by  him.  They  felt  more  deeply  than 
outsiders  could  feel  what  these  burdens  which  he  was  carrying 
meant  to  him. 

When,  just  a  year  ago,  I  was  lying  stricken  down  in  the 
hospital,  one  of  the  first  persons  who  was  permitted  to  see  me 
was  Leonard  Pearson.  I  recall  that  Saturday  night  when,  tak- 
ing my  hand,  he  said  quietly,  "How  are  you?"  "Oh,"  said 
13 


3Fn  jHcmoriam 


I,  "  Leonard,  I  am  well  and  heart}^  How  are  you  ?  "  "  Well," 
he  said,  "to  be  frank,  I  would  like  to  take  a  vacation  for  a 
year."  "  Take  it,"  I  replied.  "  I  will  ask  the  provost  to  give 
you  leave  of  absence  for  a  year."  "  No,  no,  don't.  There  is  too 
much  to  be  done,  and  I  am  right  in  the  midst  of  this  work, 
which  needs  my  attention  now."  Despite  his  earnest  appeal,  I 
spoke  to  Provost  Harrison,  and,  of  course,  the  word  came, 
"  Take  the  vacation."  He  did  not  take  it,  as  you  know.  He 
went  on  until  the  burden  became  so  great  that  he,  too,  suc- 
cumbed and  fell  under  it.  When,  two  days  before  the  tirst 
accident  befell  him,  he  was  in  my  office  to  lay  before  me  his 
plans  for  this  magnificent  school  of  ours,  I  little  realized  that 
that  moment  was  the  last  time  my  eyes  should  rest  upon  tJiis 
friend,  this  noble  teacher,  this  splendid  gentleman. 

To  me,  friends,  it  seems  that  all  I  can  say  about  Leonard 
Pearson  is  fittingly  presented  in  these  few  lines: 

"  So  might  I  toil  from  morn  to  eve. 

Some  purpose  in  my  life  fulfil, 
And  ere  I  pass,  some  work  achieve, 

To  live  and  move  when  I  am  still. 
I  ask  not  that  with  this  work  my  name  combined, 

Shall  dowTi  the  ages  move. 
But  that  my  toil  some  end  may  find, 

That  man  shall  bless  and  God  approve." 

The  Chairman  :  The  next  address  will  be  by  Dr.  James  Law, 
of  Cornell  University. 

Dr.  Law:  Death  has  struck  a  shining  mark.  Our  late 
lamented  friend.  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson,  from  whom  we  might 
still  have  expected  a  long  and  honorable  career,  has  passed 
from  us  in  the  full  bloom  of  his  manhood,  in  the  midst  of  his 
arduous  labors,  and  with  his  plans  for  future  achievements 
undone.  To  us  who  have  w^atched  the  gradual  unfolding  of 
this  man  and  his  aspirations,  the  first  feeling  is  that  of  arrested 
and  blighted  development.  With  a  prolonged  life  and  con- 
14 


Econatti  5^ear^on 


tinued  meutal  vigor,  and  with  the  opportunities  wliich  were 
placed  in  his  hand,  Leonard  Pearson  would,  in  the  nature  of 
things,  have  rounded  out  a  noble  life  by  continual  additions 
to  liis  achievements  and  left  a  record  which  his  premature 
death  cut  short. 

The  mills  of  God  grind  slowly.  In  these  a  thousand  years 
are  but  as  a  day;  a  long  succession  of  generations  are  charged 
with  the  elucidation  of  a  great  truth,  and  the  preparation  of 
the  human  mind  for  its  admission,  and  the  merit  accorded  to 
each  is  that  of  making  a  visible  and  lasting  advance  which  turns 
and  passes  it  on  a  stage  farther  toward  and  nearer  the  ultimate 
goal  of  triumph.  In  the  case  of  the  individual,  how  often  do 
we  see  the  man  who  is  cut  off  in  comparative  youth  impress 
on  the  coming  generations  and  centuries  an  impulse  for  good 
which  the  longest  and  most  admirable  lives  have  failed  to 
accomplish !  It  is  as  if  the  enthusiasm  of  youth,  concentrated 
in  a  strenuous  though  limited  period,  had  made  an  irresistible 
appeal  to  the  imagination,  the  devotion  and  the  will  had 
initiated  a  heroic  work  of  an  exceptionally  lasting  and  fruitful 
character. 

My  acquaintance  with  Leonard  Pearson  dates  from  1884, 
when,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  entered  as  a  freslmian  in 
Cornell  University.  He  came  of  sterling  New  England  stock, 
modified,  perhaps,  by  successful  enterprise  in  what  is  now  the 
Middle  West.  He  elected  veterinary  science  as  his  life's  work, 
took  and  excelled  in  such  work  in  this  line  as  Cornell  then 
offered  and;  when  he  graduated  in  science  in  1888,  he  joined 
me  in  Chicago,  seeking  a  practical  acquaintance  with  the  work 
of  the  federal  government  in  the  extinction  of  lung  plague  in 
cattle,  and  he  there  assisted  in  a  sanitary  campaign  which  for 
speed  and  thoroughness  has  been  unparalleled  elsewhere. 

While  an  undergraduate  of  Cornell  he  was  honored  by  the 

insignia  of  the  Sigma   Xi,   a  lasting  sign   of  the  esteem   in 

which  he  was  lield  in  scientific  circles.     From  Ithaca  he  went 

to  Philadelphia  as  offering,  at  that  time,  the  most  promising 

15 


^n  iWemoriam 


fount  in  America  from  which  to  drink  more  deeply  of  veterinary 
lore.  Here  he  so  highly  distinguished  liimself  that  on  his 
graduation  he  was  at  once  offered  the  chair  of  veterinary 
medicine,  to  supersede  the  brilliant  Huidekoper,  with  per- 
mission to  spend  his  first  year  in  Europe  to  garner  for  the 
subsequent  profit  of  his  alma  mater  such  knowledge  as  the  older 
and  maturer  veterinary  institutions  of  the  Old  World  had 
treasured. 

Young  as  he  was,  with  spurs  untried,  it  was  characteristic 
of  the  man  that  he  should  consider  the  matter  deliberately 
before  he  entered  on  a  race  which  he  must  perforce  recognize 
as  a  strenuous  one.  His  most  thought  was  the  question  of  his 
own  fitness  for  the  proffered  position. 

He  was  far  removed  from  that  overweening  and  ill-founded 
conceit  which  will  rest  satisfied  with  superficial  acquirements 
dispensed  with  a  glib  confidence,  which  may  momentarily  re- 
press inquiry  and  aspiration,  but  which  cannot  stand  the  test 
of  time  with  increasing  knowledge  and  greater  deliberation.  I 
shall  always  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that,  in  an  hour 
which  called  for  an  important  decision,  I  gave  my  earnest 
word  toward  saving  Leonard  Pearson  for  that  work  in  which 
he  has  served  so  faithfully  and  successfully. 

It  would  be  endless  to  enimierate  the  sowings  and  harvest 
of  even  one  life.     Some,  however,  may  be  profitably  recalled. 

Students:  The  primary  duties  of  our  deceased  friend  centred 
mainly  along  educational  lines,  and  the  students  who  came  to 
the  veterinary  department  to  drink  of  the  Pierian  Spring  carried 
away  with  them  the  memory  of  a  true  friend  and  inspiring 
teacher  which  in  different  states  and  nations  will  make  his 
name  a  household  word  for  many  years  to  come.  We  recognize 
these  students  and  alumni  in  the  bureaus  of  the  nation,  in 
the  sanitar)'  work  in  the  abattoirs  and  in  the  fields,  on  govern- 
ment and  private  breeding  farms,  in  experiment  stations  and 
halls  of  research — men  who  took  inspiration  from  his  lips,  ex- 
ample and  direction,  and  in  whose  minds  his  name  will  be 
16 


Eeonarti  J^ear^on 


associated  with  all  that  they  achieved  and  aspired  after.  He 
finds  here  his  truest  living  monument;  and  as  many  of  these 
men  will  furnish  inspiration  to  others  in  their  turn,  who  will 
dare  to  say  that  we  can  judge  of  the  volimie  and  value  of  such 
a  life  by  what  appears  here  and  now? 

College:  The  college  buildings  stand  a  solid  monument  in 
stone  and  lime  of  the  work  of  the  man  as  it  appealed  to 
trustees  of  the  institution,  and  to  friends  outside.  Perhaps 
no  veterinar)'-  college  in  the  country  has  been  more  liberally 
dealt  with.  We  must  go  to  Europe  to  find  one  that  is  better 
provided  for.  This  stands  as  a  measure  of  how  his  qualities 
impressed  men  at  large,  and  though  ostensibly  a  physical 
memento,  it  is  more,  inasmuch  as  it  is  to  be  the  centre  of 
college  life  for  many  coming  classes  of  veterinarians,  and,  like 
the  minds  of  those  who  were  hib  ..i..uv..^^te  pupils,  though  to  a 
less  extent,  they  must  carry  down  to  coming  generations  the 
memory  of  the  man  who  was  so  intimately  associated  with 
their  construction. 

Literary  work:  Coming  to  the  literary  work,  I  wish  I  could 
name  in  a  word  the  many  different  fields  in  which  Dr.  Pear- 
son's activities  were  called  out.  Scarce  had  he  taken  his 
college  position  in  Philadelphia  before  he  was  impressed  with 
the  importance  of  a  veterinary  journal  which  would  give  the 
best  that  America  could  produce  in  this  line,  together  with 
the  cream  of  the  veterinar)'^  journals  of  Europe.  In  seeking 
to  fill  tliis  gap  he  found  the  advantage  of  a  working  knowledge 
of  the  more  important  of  the  tongues  of  Europe,  and  he 
spared  himself  no  effort  nor  toil  in  making  these  available  to 
his  American  colleagues.  For  years  he  conducted  the  Veter- 
inary Magazine  until  induced  to  relinquish  the  labor  by  increas- 
ing and  imperative  duties  on  the  one  hand,  and  by  the 
revitalization  of  competing  journals  on  the  other.  Transient  as 
was  the  life  of  the  Veterinary  Magazine,  it  marks  a  stepping- 
stone  in  the  veterinary  journalism  of  America,  and  is  a  lasting 
2  17 


9^n  ^emotiam 


monument  to  the  earnestness,  the  ability  and  the  tireless  devotion 
of  Dr.  Pearson. 

The  interruption  of  the  magazine  did  not  interfere  with  his 
literary  labors  for  students  and  colleagues.  Works  on  matters 
of  current  interest  to  veterinarian,  student  and  stock-owning 
public  came  from  his  graceful  pen  as  translations  from  Old- 
World  tongues,  and  in  the  fields  of  sanitation,  the  sanitation 
of  milk,  of  herds,  and,  interdependently  of  humanity,  he  became 
well  known  to  veterinary  and  medical  readers.  He  no  longer 
tied  himself  down  to  the  continuous  grind  necessary  to  go  to 
press  on  a  given  day  each  month;  he  could  now  work  when  a 
spare  hour  came  to  him,  and  he  could  delay  any  undertaking 
when  lack  of  time  or  need  of  sleep  rendered  this  imperative. 
It  thus  became  possible  to  do  better  work  with  less  expenditure 
of  energy  than  when  it  had  to  be  undertaken  as  a  race  against 
time. 

The  profession:  In  his  profession  Dr.  Pearson  early  took 
and  held  a  prominent  place.  As  a  practitioner  in  Philadelphia, 
as  a  consulting  veterinarian  at  the  college  and  outside,  as  a 
referee  in  public  exhibitions  and  other  collections  of  animals, 
as  an  expert  in  connection  with  breeding  problems,  and  in 
other  ways,  his  services  were  highly  esteemed  and  largely  in 
demand.  No  less  was  this  the  case  in  connection  with  societies, 
veterinary  and  medical.  He  was  habitually  the  holder  of  some 
office,  from  the  presidency  downward,  in  the  state  or  national 
societies  of  his  own  profession;  he  was  directly  associated  with 
the  Henry  Phipps  Institute  for  the  Study,  Treatment  and 
Prevention  of  Tuberculosis ;  and  he  was  president  of  the  animal 
section  in  the  International  CongTCss  of  Tuberculosis  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 

Sanitary  worh  in  relation  to  infectious  diseases:  This  is  the 
field  which,  of  all  others.  Dr.  Pearson  most  assiduously  cul- 
tivated. The  subject  was  in  the  air.  The  sanitarian,  medical 
or  veterinary,  dreamed  of  the  severe  restriction,  if  not  the 
entire  extinction,  of  infection.  Dr.  Pearson  became  a  recognized 
18 


Eeonarli  ^ear^on 


authority  in  such  matters.  He  was  repeatedly  called  by  the 
federal  government  to  advise  in  cases  of  doubt.  In  Penn- 
sylvania he  was  made  secretary  of  the  Live  Stock  Sanitary 
Board,  and,  by  right  of  skill  and  office,  its  executive  officer. 
It  was  his  to  form  and  direct  a  state  veterinary  sanitary 
organization.  He  was  especially  fortunate  in  finding  official 
ears  to  the  need  of  research  in  these  lines,  and  a  state  farm 
and  a  state  laboratory  of  research  were  placed  in  his  hands, 
stocked  for  the  purpose  and  with  provision  for  maintenance. 
Among  other  tilings,  he  availed  himself  of  his  opportunities 
to  place  restrictions  on  tuberculosis.  He  procured  a  statute 
providing  that  all  dairy  and  breeding  cattle  entering  the  state 
must  be  tested  with  tuberculin,  by  operators  approved  by  the 
state.  In  this  he  placed  the  stockmen  and  community  under 
a  deep  load  of  indebtedness. 

Sanitary  research:  In  the  field  of  sanitary  research,  which 
was  liberally  opened  to  Dr.  Pearson,  many  lines  of  inquiry 
were  followed  with  excellent  results.  Among  the  notable  things 
done  in  the  research  laboratory  were  the  identification  of  a 
pestilence  of  horses  in  America  with  the  contagious  lymphan- 
gitis of  the  Old  World,  and  the  future  identification  of  the 
deadly  dysenteric  affection  of  imported  Jersey  cows  and  others 
that  had  lived  with  them  with  the  disease  of  Johne,  caused  by 
an  acid-fast  bacterium  having  a  certain  resemblance  to  the 
bacterium  of  tuberculosis.  But  that  which  was  aimed  at  im- 
munization against  the  tubercle  bacterium  appealed  most  power- 
fully to  the  great  body  of  humanity.  The  great  public,  realizing, 
rather  dimly  it  is  true,  that  certain  diseases,  like  smallpox, 
sheeppox,  anthrax,  measles,  scarlatina,  lung  plague,  rinderpest 
and  others,  do  not  occur  a  second  time  in  the  same  individual 
system,  a  first  attack  being  followed  by  a  prolonged,  often  life- 
long, immunity,  entertained  an  earnest  hope  and  expectation 
that  the  "  great  white  plague "  could  be  met  successfully  by 
immunizing  measures,  and  that  the  greatest  pestilence  of  man 
and  beast  might  be  finally  conquered  in  this  way.  Tlie  demand 
19 


S^n  i^cmoriam 


became  almost  imperative  on  sanitarians  to  enter  this  field, 
which  to  the  average  mind  appeared  so  promising.  To  the 
skilled  and  mentally  well-balanced  pathologist,  however,  the 
field  was  less  inviting  than  to  the  layman. 

It  was  expected  that  Dr.  Pearson  should  undertake  this 
work,  and  on  it  he  went  honestly  to  work.  Like  some  others 
working  in  the  same  field,  he  found  that,  under  good  hygienic 
conditions,  animals  with  strong  natural  resistance  to  tuberculosis, 
under  carefully  graduated  doses  of  tuberculin  toxins,  or  when 
injected  with  tubercle  bacteria  which  had  been  long  grown  in 
genera  widely  different  from  the  stock  experimented  on,  could, 
in  favorable  cases,  be  started  on  a  course  of  improvement,  or 
could  be  endowed  with  an  increased  power  of  resistance,  so 
that  a  percentage  of  animals  with  the  incipient  disease  could 
be  said  to  be  cured,  and  another  percentage  in  good  measure 
immunized.  But  he  could  not  shut  his  eyes  to  the  facts  that 
a  large  portion  of  the  infected  animals  were  not  cured,  that  a 
number  of  the  sound  animals  could  not  be  immunized,  even 
in  a  measure,  and  that  in  those  that  did  acquire  a  measure  of 
immunity,  it  was  not  sufficiently  powerful  and  lasting  to  con- 
stitute a  satisfactory  basis  for  a  general  sanitary  system  to  be 
carried  out  by  a  whole  community  or  nation.  For  a  year,  or 
while  kept  in  very  superior  hygienic  conditions,  the  manipulated 
animals  escaped,  but  in  the  lapse  of  time  they  gi-adually  lost 
their  power  of  resistance,  and  when  subjected  to  close  confine- 
ment or  other  specially  unwholesome  conditions,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  bacterium,  they  succumbed  to  the  disease  after  the 
manner  of  other  cattle.  This  was  a  denouement  calculated  to 
try  the  experimenter's  soul.  He  had  secured  what  might  be 
called  a  flattering  success,  but  at  best  it  was  too  partial,  un- 
certain and  transient  to  be  made  the  basis  for  a  complete 
extinction  of  the  pestilence.  There  was  a  strong  temptation 
to  make  the  most  of  it  and  come  out  as  the  conqueror  of  the 
great  white  plague.  But  Leonard  Pearson  was  made  of  nobler 
stuff,  and,  while  acknowledging  favorable  results,  he  never  once 
20 


iteonarti  l^earjfon 


claimed  that  he  had  secured  a  good  working  basis  for  a  system 
leading  to  tuberculosis  extiuctiou.  in  state  or  nation.  The 
most  that  he  allowed  himself  to  say  was  that  the  matter  was 
still  undecided. 

He  kept  his  eye  steadily  fixed  on  the  imperishable  prize  of 
the  true  scientist  and  sanitarian.  He  swept  aside  every  sug- 
gestion of  remunerative  mercantilism,  and,  what  would  have 
been  perhaps  more  attractive,  the  public  applause  for  one  who 
was  reputed  to  have  overcome  the  great  white  plague,  and  re- 
mained true  to  his  best  ideals.  Let  us  treasure  this  devotion 
to  trust  as  the  crowning  virtue  of  his  career. 

We  lament  his  early  death,  but  this  is  largely  the  fate  of 
humanity.  We  honor  liim  for  his  faithful  work  during  his  all 
too  short  existence.  We  recognize  that  real  worth  is  shown  by 
doing  well  what  each  successive  day  brings  to  be  done.  He  who 
does  this,  be  his  life  long  or  short,  has  well  fulfilled  his  mission 
and  well  deserves  the  victor's  crown.  We  cannot  any  of  us 
wholly  control  and  determine  our  life.  We  cannot  choose  that 
we  shall  be  born  in  one  century  or  land,  rather  than  another; 
that  we  shall  grow  to  a  given  stature;  that  we  shall  have  the 
option  of  building  on  foundations  laid  by  great  men  or  small 
ones ;  that  we  shall  live  and  work  thirty  years  or  eighty ;  but  we 
can  detei-mine  whether  in  our  age  and  our  country,  with  our 
inherited  knowledge,  our  years  and  opportunities,  we  shall  make 
the  most  and  the  best  of  what  is  placed  in  our  hands.  "  Act 
well  thy  part;  there  all  the  honor  lies." 

The  Chairman  :  The  next  address  will  be  by  Dr.  Thomas 
F.  Hunt,  of  State  College,  Pennsylvania. 

Dr.  Hunt:  I  did  not  know  until  this  morning  that  I  was 
expected  to  make  a  few  informal  remarks  on  this  occasion.  It 
is,  perhaps,  just  as  well,  because  no  words  of  mine  would  be 
adequate  to  express  the  sentiments  and  the  feeling  walled  up 
in  our  hearts  at  this  time,  and  nothing,  certainl)',  could  be 
21 


3Fn  ;jWiemoi:tam 


added  to  the  tender  and  scholarly  addresses  to  which  we  have 
listened. 

Dr.  Leonard  Pearson  had  two  qualities  that  to  me  were 
eminently  characteristic.  The  first  of  these  was  his  lovableness. 
If  any  more  lovable  man  has  lived,  I  have  not  made  hie 
acquaintance.  He  had  a  charm  which  drew  men  to  him.  The 
second  quality  was  his  devotion  to  service.  I  am  well  aware 
that  this  word  "  service  "  is  made  to  do  duty  on  many  occa- 
sions, but  I  know  of  none  more  fitting  when  referring  to  Dr. 
Leonard  Pearson. 

It  was  these  two  qualities  which  made  him  the  friend  and 
counsellor  of  men.  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson,  as  many  of  you  know 
as  well  as  I,  was  probably  the  friend,  adviser  and  counsellor 
of  more  public  men  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  during  the 
last  decade  than  any  man  that  has  lived  within  its  borders. 
He  had  a  capacity  of  knowing,  of  being  deeply  respected  by 
men  who  shaped  the  destiny  of  affairs  beyond  that  of  any  man 
I  have  ever  known. 

It  was  said  that  I  was  to  speak  here  to-night  as  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  Pennsylvania  State  College.  Dr.  Pearson  was 
always  helpful  to  that  institution,  and  to  the  Department  of 
Agriculture,  especially,  he  was  of  great  service.  In  spite  of 
the  difficult  journey,  Dr.  Pearson  was  always  willing  to  come 
to  us  at  State  College  and  lecture  for  us,  to  help  us;  and, 
what  was  more,  we  always  felt  that  we  had  in  Dr.  Pearson  a 
friend,  a  counsellor  and  adviser  who  was  interested  in  us  and 
helpful  to  us. 

We  have  heard  a  great  deal  in  the  last  two  years  al)out 
conservation  of  natural  resources.  That  subject  just  at  present 
occupies  very  much  of  the  public  press,  and  I  believe  that  some- 
thing will  come  out  of  it.  If,  however,  nothing  except  the 
realization  that  the  most  important  thing  in  this  world  to 
conserve  is  not  trees  and  coal,  oil  and  gas  and  soil,  but  human 
life,  that  the  most  important  thing  to  promote  is  human 
efficiency,  all  of  this  discussion  will  have  been  worth  while. 
22 


Heonarii  Jdear^on 


Now,  Leonard  Pearson  was  worth,  as  an  investment  to  himself 
and  to  his  family,  perhaps  a  hundred  thousand  dollars.  To 
the  people  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  he  was  wortli,  as  a 
literal  investment,  millions  of  dollars  in  the  service  directly 
rendered  to  the  people.  There  can  be  no  doubt  about  it.  It 
is  a  great  heritage  to  the  people,  to  the  state,  to  the  nation,  to 
have  had  Leonard  Pearson  in  its  midst.  It  is  a  heritage  which 
no  money  consideration  can  supply.  There  is  but  one  way  to 
repay  him  and  the  ideals  which  he  represented,  and  that  is 
for  us,  individually,  to  be  inspired  to  the  life  which  he  en- 
deavored to  lead. 

The  Chairman:    The  next  address  will  be  by  Mr,  W.  J. 
McSparran. 

Mr.  McSparran: 

Men  come  and  go, 
And  other  men  come  on  to  take  their  places 

In   the  work   of  life.     But  not  the   kindly    hand  and   lost 
beloved  faces. 
We  grope  around  as  in  the  dark  to  find  the  hand  that  wrought; 

We  strain  the  ear  to  hear  the  voice  that  spoke  the  kindliy: 
thought. 
Of  all  who  worked  with  brain  and  brawn,  a  fellow  workman  he, 

His  plowshare  cut  his  furrow  straight,  his  arm  swung  strong 
and  free. 
He  never  shifted  duty,  work  fell  finished  from  his  hand; 

With  heart  throbs  as  his  trade  mark,  so  that  work  shall  stand. 
On  manliood's  highest  altitudes  he  grew  his  greenest  bays; 
None  knew  him  but  to  love  him,  none  named  him  but  to  praise. 

The  Chairman:    The  next  address  will  be  by  Mr.  E.  S. 
Bayard,  of  Pittsburgh. 

Mr.  Bayard:    I  have  no  address.     As  secretary  of  this  asso- 
ciation, however,  I  have  two  letters  to  read.     The  first  is  from 
Honorable  Boies  Penrose,  from  the  Cnited  States  Senate: 
23 


3^n  jHcmoriam 


"  I  was  shocked  and  grieved  to  hear  of  Dr.  Pearson's  death. 
The  state  of  Pennsylvania  has  suffered  a  great  loss.  I  am 
familiar  with  Dr.  Pearson's  career,  and  appreciate  the  devoted 
service  which  he  gave  to  the  state  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
was  eminently  fitted  for  his  public  duties,  and  he  raised  the 
standard  of  his  profession  in  Pennsylvania,  so  that  we  have 
set  an  example  for  all  the  other  states  in  the  Union.  It  will 
be  difficult  to  fill  his  place,  and  I  join  with  his  many  friends 
in  expressing  regret  at  his  untimely  death." 

The  second  is  from  Honorable  Edwin  S.  Stuart,  from  the 
executive  chamber,  Harrisburg: 

"  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson  was  appointed  to  the  office  of  state 
veterinarian  in  1896,  and  served  continuously  in  that  capacity 
until  his  death,  in  1909.  In  the  profession  of  veterinary  medi- 
cine there  was  no  one  more  high-minded,  enthusiastic  and  able 
than  Dr.  Pearson,  and  no  man  ever  served  the  commonwealth 
of  Pennsylvania  more  faithfully  and  unselfishly.  His  life  work, 
character,  and  integrity  will  always  remain  an  example  to  be 
emulated  by  every  man  entering  the  profession  which  Dr. 
Pearson  so  signally  honored." 

We  have  heard  about  Dr.  Pearson's  attainments  as  a  scholar 
and  about  the  great  work  he  has  done,  and  we  realize  that  all 
these  things  are  true.  But  M'here  I  shall  miss  him  most  is  as 
a  friend.  His  monument  is  in  the  hearts  of  every  one  of  us. 
That  is  where  we  miss  him.  And  we,  as  an  association,  miss 
the  one  who  was  our  vice-president  since  the  institution  of  this 
association.  Speaking  for  the  breeders  of  Pennsylvania,  I  tell 
you  that  his  work  was  of  the  highest  possible  value,  and  it  is  a 
pleasure  for  me  to  say  here  now  that  I  believe  we  have  appre- 
ciated his  labors,  although  perhaps  not  to  the  fullest  extent, 
for  that,  in  all  probability,  would  have  been  beyond  us. 
24 


%tomth  ^tat^on 


The  Chairman:  The  next  address  will  be  by  Dr.  S.  H. 
Gilliland,  State  Veterinarian. 

Dr.  Gillilaxd:  I  feel  that  I  have  not  the  power  of  ex- 
pression to  convey  to  you  in  words  my  appreciation  of  and 
respect  for  Dr.  Pearson.  He  was  a  man  I  admired,  loved  and 
looked  upon  as  a  father. 

It  is  over  fourteen  years  since  I  came  to  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  at  which  time  our  acquaintance  began.  My  first 
impression  of  him  as  he  walked  down  the  "  bricks  "  of  the  old 
veterinary  school  at  Thirty-fourth  and  Pine  streets  was  a 
lasting  one.  It  seems  no  longer  ago  than  yesterday.  His 
strong,  honest  face  and  sincere  manner  made  me  feel  at  once 
that  he  was  the  type  of  man  to  take  as  an  example  to  guide 
one  through  life's  work.  His  encouraging  words  and  the  stimu- 
lus he  imparted  by  his  interest  in  scientific  work  inspired  many 
a  student  who  was  not  inclined  to  be  a  worker  to  put  forth 
greater  efforts. 

As  a  teacher,  he  was  gifted  with  the  ability  to  convey  to  his 
students  the  subjects  of  his  lectures  in  a  most  concise  and 
impressive  way.  He  had  the  faculty  of  observing  a  student 
who  had  not  grasped  the  thought  he  desired  to  impart,  and 
would  immediately  present  the  same  in  another  form  in  such 
language  that  the  meaning  could  not  be  lost.  During  my  time 
as  a  student  in  the  veterinary  school  of  this  university,  it  was 
considered  among  the  students  a  treat  to  hear  one  of  Dr.  Pear- 
son's lectures  upon  contagious  or  infectious  diseases.  In  the 
clinics,  which  he  conducted  twice  each  week  during  the  school 
term,  and  which  were  well  attended,  his  ability  to  make  a 
quick  and  accurate  diagnosis  was  astonishing. 

In  1901  I  had  the  honor  of  becoming  associated  with  him 
in  research  work,  and  his  foresight  in  planning  experimental 
work  was  man-ellous.  He  was  familiar  with  all  experimental 
work  in  comparative  pathology  that  had  been  done  in  the  past. 
In  fact,  this  knowledge  was  not  only  remembered  in  general, 
but  he  had  the  minutest  details  in  relation  to  certain  phases 
25 


3Fn  iWiemoriam 


of  the  work.  I  can  well  remember  when  we  terminated  the 
first  experiment  upon  the  immunization  of  cattle  against  tuber- 
culosis, and  found  that  the  ones  that  had  been  vaccinated  or 
immunized  showed  a  high  degree  of  resistance  as  compared  with 
the  control  animals.  He  was  so  interested  in  this  work  that 
he  at  once  set  out  to  obtain  funds  to  carry  it  along  on  a  larger 
scale,  and  you  no  doubt  all  know  the  result  of  his  efforts, 
which  is  the  state  experimental  farm,  located  in  Delaware 
County,  comprising  over  two  hundred  acres,  with  three  distinct 
groups  of  buildings.  The  earlier  work  along  this  line  was 
conducted  on  a  rented  pasture  in  the  Perkiomen  Valley,  and 
it  appeared  to  give  Dr.  Pearson  the  greatest  pleasure  to  visit 
this  pasture  and  observe  the  condition  of  the  animals  under 
experiment-ation. 

His  work  in  connection  with  the  International  Congress  on 
Tuberculosis,  held  in  Washington  more  than  a  year  ago,  will 
always  be  remembered.  As  chairman  of  the  section  upon  bovine 
tuberculosis,  he  succeeded  in  having  presented  some  papers  by 
a  number  of  eminent  veterinarians  in  this  country  and  abroad, 
which  are  considered  classic.  A  friend  of  his  once  remarked 
to  me  that  if  he  desired  to  obtain  any  detailed  information  on 
any  particular  phase  of  the  tuberculosis  problem,  he  would 
confer  with  Dr.   Pearson. 

His  capacity  for  work  was  most  remarkable.  In  taking  up 
his  duties  at  Harrisburg,  I  am  impressed  more  each  day  with 
his  wonderful  foresight  in  devising  and  organizing  the  work 
of  the  State  Live  Stock  Sanitar}'  Board.  I  know  I  am  safe 
in  saying  that  it  is  the  desire  of  every  veterinarian  in  this 
state  to  see  the  good  work  he  started  continue.  His  life  was 
devoted  to  the  welfare  of  the  live  stock  industry.  As  a  worker 
under  his  direction  for  a  number  of  3'ears,  I  was  in  a  position 
to  observe  the  kind  consideration  he  showed  his  employees,  even 
though  there  were  times  when  the  circumstances  were  most 
trying.  I  have  many  times  seen  him  overcome  difficulties  that 
seemed  as  large  as  a  mountain. 
26 


Heonarti  ^eat^e^on 


To  him  I  feel  my  entire  education  is  due,  and  if  I  have 
contributed  any  service  to  the  advancement  of  scientific  knowl- 
edge, it  has  come  through  the  stimulus  he  gave  me.  I  feel 
that  all  the  work  I  have  done  or  may  do  in  the  future  is 
compensated  for  by  having  had  the  great  privilege  of  knowing 
him. 

We  cannot  but  deeply  lament  the  great  loss — an  irreparable 
loss — the  people  of  the  commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania  in  par- 
ticular, and  the  world  in  general,  have  sustained.  The  greatest 
blow  comes  to  those  who  are  interested  in  the  advancement 
of  science,  for  his  enthusiasm  and  energy,  together  with  his 
knowledge  and  ideals,  made  him  an  indefatigable  worker.  To 
us  who  knew  him  as  a  friend  and  loved  him  as  a  brother,  his 
absence  leaves  a  vacancy  that  can  never  be  filled. 

The  Chairman  :    This  conchides  the  exercises. 

I  cannot  refrain  from  saying  that  although  Dr.  Pearson  has 
gone  from  us,  his  work  will  surely  go  on  long  after  we  are 
all  dead.  I  do  not  believe  there  was  a  man  in  this  state  who 
could  be  more  missed  than  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson.  I  do  not 
believe  there  was  a  man  better  loved  by  those  who  knew  him 
than  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson. 


27 


J^etitcation  of  tlje  iLeonarD  ptat^on  i^all 

(From   Old  Penii   for  June   IS,    I'JIO) 

The  Vet€rinai7  Alumni  Society,  including  the  class  of  1910, 
assembled  at  8.15  p.m.  in  the  Leonard  Pearson  Hall  at  the 
veterinary  school.  The  announcement  of  the  dedication  of  the 
hall  to  the  memory  of  the  late  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson  was  made 
by  the  acting  dean,  Dr.  Carl  W.  Gay,  on  behalf  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  the  university. 

The  Leonard  Pearson  Memorial  Committee  laid  before  the 
meeting  its  report,  which  contains  the  following  scheme  of 
memorial : 

"  1.  There  shall  be  procured  for  the  department  an  oil  paint- 
ing of  Leonard  Pearson  to  be  purchased  by  subscriptions  from 
the  alumni. 

"  2.  All  funds  so  subscribed  over  and  above  the  amount 
necessary  to  the  purchase  of  the  painting  shall  be  set  aside  as 
the  endowment  fund  of  the  Pearson  Memorial  Library,  the 
income  from  which  is  to  be  spent  from  year  to  year  in  keeping 
this  section  of  the  general  library  of  the  department  replete 
with  the  most  up-to-date  books  and  periodicals  in  veterinary 
literature." 

This  report  was  unanimously  adopted  by  the  meeting  as  a 
form  of  memorial  in  keeping  with  the  desires  and  wishes  of 
Dr.  Pearson, 

The  president  of  the  graduating  class,  J.  D.  Cecil,  presented 
to  the  department  a  tablet  inscribed: 

Dedicated  to  the  Memory 
of 

LEONABD    PEAKSON,    B.S.,    V.M.D.,    M.D. 

1868-1909 

By  the  Cla^s  of  1910 

The  last  class  to  which  he  gave  personal   instruction 

28 


^tmntatmx  of  ?^r^  Leonard  i^earjson'^ 
portrait 

©niuewitp  Dap,  Jebroarp  22, 19U,  ©niDewitp  of  J)cnnBplDania 

Dr.  John  W.  Adams  :  Mr.  Provost,  Gentleman  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees:  I  am  honored  by  a  request  from  the  alumni  of 
our  veterinary  school,  that  I  present  to  you,  from  them,  a 
portrait  of  the  late  Leonard  Pearson. 

Dr.  Leonard  Pearson  was  an  able  and  distinguished  veter- 
inarian. During  the  twenty  years  of  his  professional  activity 
he  served  with  conspicuous  ability  in  nearly  every  position  of 
honor  in  the  gift  of  his  colleagues.  He  formulated  the  bill 
creating  a  Pennsylvania  state  veterinary  service,  and  was  for 
fourteen  years  the  wise  and  efficient  director  of  this  service. 
He  organized  the  Pennsylvania  Live  Stock  Sanitary  Board, 
which  has  done  splendid  work  in  conserving  the  live  stock 
interests  of  our  commonwealth,  and  has  been  adopted  without 
essential  alteration  by  several  of  our  sister  states. 

Possessing  by  inheritance  a  keen,  vigorous  mind,  with  un- 
usual analytic  and  synthetic  power,  his  years  of  training  in 
laboratory  and  afield  gave  him  a  breadth  of  view,  a  clearness 
of  vision  and  a  soundness  of  judgment  quite  remarkable. 

It  is  rather  of  Leonard  Pearson's  relations  to  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania  that  I  would  speak  to-day.  For  twent5^-two 
years — ^the  entire  span  of  his  professional  life — ^he  was  the 
dominant  figure  in  our  veterinary  school.  As  undergraduate 
student  he  was  diligent,  thorough,  brilliant;  as  investigator, 
productive;  as  teacher,  unexcelled.  To  the  charm  of  a  pleas- 
antly modulated  voice  and  purest  diction  he  added  a  glow 
and  inspiration  that  quickened  all  to  renewed  effort.  By  nature 
as  sensitive  and  gentle  as  a  woman,  he  could  be  firm  almost 
to  obstinacy  when  the  occasion  seemed  to  demand  it.  Yet 
29 


5n  iWemoriam 


it  was  by  unfailing  kindliness,  considerateness,  and  by  the 
direct  appeal  to  the  manhood  of  his  pupils  that  he  led  them 
in  the  way  he  would  have  them  go. 

As  dean  of  the  veterinary  school,  Leonard  Pearson  will  long 
live  in  grateful  memory.  For  to  his  clear  perception  of  what 
should  constitute  a  veterinary  curriculum;  to  his  accurate 
knowledge  of  the  organization,  equipment  and  aim  of  the  best 
veterinary  schools  of  Europe;  to  his  years  of  unremitting  toil 
for  the  school  he  loved  so  dearly;  to  this  fair-haired,  blue- 
eyed,  clear-minded,  courageous,  loyal  son  of  Old  Penn,  we  are 
indebted,  more  than  to  any  other  one  man,  for  the  splendid 
reorganization  of  our  vet-erinary  school,  for  the  awakened  en- 
thusiasm of  student  and  teacher,  and  for  what  is  more  tangible, 
though  not  less  real,  a  magnificent  new  veterinary  building  that 
we  can  call  our  home.  These  are  his  achievements.  These 
are  his  enduring  monuments. 

Gentlemen  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  I  reverently  commit 
to  your  care  this  portrait  of  Leonard  Pearson,  that  it  may 
be  placed  beside  those  other  worthy  sons  of  Penn,  who,  like 
him,  have  wrought  nobly  for  Alma  Mater. 


30 


mihnm  from  fximh^  anD  f ellotD-toorfeerj^ 

The  following  tributes  have  been  received  from  the  friends 
and  fellovr-workers  of  Dr.  Pearson : 

From  I.  P.  Roberts,  Professor  Emeritus,  Cornell  University : 

My  first  memory  of  Leonard  Pearson  goes  back  to  the  time 
when  I  saw  his  kindly,  intelligent  face  in  my  classroom  at 
Cornell  University  in  188-i.  He  was  an  earnest  student,  and 
even  at  that  early  age  his  examination  papers  gave  evidence 
of  exceptional  ability  and  faithful  application.  I  soon  dis- 
covered that  his  first  love  was  for  the  welfare  of  domestic 
animals  and  for  the  people  who  had  them  in  their  care.  This 
naturally  led  him  to  elect  all  of  the  veterinary  work  which 
was  then  to  be  had  in  the  College  of  Agriculture.  We  had 
with  us  at  that  time  that  great  scholarly  leader  and  practical 
veterinarian.  Dr.  James  Law,  whose  work  ran  parallel  to  mine 
and  extended  over  the  same  period  of  time,  and  naturally  the 
agricultural  students  of  Dr.  Pearson's  ability  and  tastes  re- 
ceived such  inspiration  and  instruction  under  Dr.  Law's  tutelage 
as  to  make  them  markedly  superior  to  most  other  students  then 
entering  the  veterinary  colleges. 

The  good  judgment  and  perseverance  of  Dr.  Pearson  were 
shown  while  he  was  still  an  underclassman  at  Cornell,  for 
instead  of  entering  a  veterinary  college  at  the  end  of  his 
sophomore  or  junior  year — and  he  was  fully  able  to  meet  the 
entrance  requirements — he  remained  until  he  had  completed 
the  four  years'  course  in  agriculture,  thereb)'-  securing  that 
knowledge  of  soils,  crops,  parasites,  and  the  care  and  feeding 
of  animals  which  should  precede  a  course  in  veterinary  science 
and  medicine.  I  cannot  but  think  that  a  large  part  of  Dr. 
Pearson's  power  to  accomplish  so  much  and  accomplish  it  so 
well  was  due  to  his  comprehensive  preparation  for  his  chosen 
calling. 

31 


9n  i^cmoriam 


As  I  sit  here  in  my  quiet  and  restful  home  near  the  shores 
of  the  placid  Pacific,  I  am  sad.  Not  so  much  because  my 
friend  has  gone  before  me,  but  because,  through  the  ignorance 
and  false  economy  of  powers  which  should  be  well  informed 
and  sjonpathetic,  the  life  of  my  honored  pupil  and  cherished 
friend  has  been  needlessly  sacrificed  in  its  prime.  There  always 
appear  to  be  enough  funds  available  to  pile  stones  uselessly 
one  upon  the  other,  but  when  a  ripe  scholar  and  a  lovable 
man,  an  able  leader  and  a  most  useful  citizen,  guarding  the 
lives  of  his  fellows,  breaks  down  and  dies  because  those  in 
power  have  failed  to  provide  him  with  a  suitable  number  of 
competent  assistants,  or  even  the  money  to  carry  on  liis  work 
in  peace,  it  is  a  thing  to  make  one  doubt  the  sanity  of  our 
times.  A  wise  and  able  teacher  in  the  domain  of  the  greatest 
industry  of  this  great  country  has  been  lost  to  the  world  and 
to  his  friends  because  those  who  might  have  helped  failed  to 
relieve  him  from  the  drudgery  of  his  calling — from  the  petty 
details  and  financial  worries  of  the  numerous  and  varied  activ- 
ities which  were  thrust  upon  this  one  man  whom  the  people 
have  long  delighted  to  honor,  love  and  follow. 

From  Simon  Henry  Gage,  Professor  of  Histology  and  Em- 
bryology, Emeritus,  Cornell  University: 

In  estimating  a  life  with  its  many-sidedness,  it  certainly 
helps  in  giving  it  its  true  place  to  know  something  of  its 
beginning  or  elemental  characteristics. 

Leonard  Pearson  came  to  me  for  work  in  comparative 
anatomy  and  histology  in  1886-87.  He  was  a  vigorous  young 
man,  full  of  enthusiasm  and  with  a  very  definite  notion  of 
what  he  wanted  to  do.  The  veterinary  profession,  exemplified 
by  Dr.  James  Law,  seemed  to  him  a  field  for  a  life  work  where 
one  would  have  opportunity  to  do  his  best,  and  in  doing  his 
best  he  would  be  of  service  to  his  fellow-men. 

It  does  not  take  long  for  a  teacher  to  find  out  the  presence 
of  a  rare  spirit  in  his  class.  The  willingness  to  make  ready 
32 


Hconarti  ^tat^m 


for  the  work  of  life  by  a  broad  and  solid  foundation,  and  the 
enthusiasm  and  intensity  with  which  work  is  prosecuted, 
although  its  direct  bearing  might  not  be  evident  at  first,  give 
the  certain  sign  of  future  success  in  life's  real  work  in  the  com- 
munity and  the  state. 

In  those  days  all  students  wrote  graduation  theses.  To  my 
gratification  he  chose  to  do  his  in  comparative  anatomy  under 
my  direction.  It  was  now  time  to  take  something  valuable  in 
itself  in  his  chosen  profession,  as  well  as  valuable  as  training 
for  a  young  investigator.  This  subject  was  the  structure  of  the 
oesophagus  in  domestic  animals.  The  results  of  this  work  were 
published  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  American  Microscopical 
Society  for  1888,  and  in  the  Journal  of  Comparative  Medicine 
and  Surgery  (vol.  x)  for  1889.  The  remembrance  of  the  spirit 
in  which  this  work  was  carried  on  is  one  of  the  precious 
memories  which  more  than  all  else  makes  the  profession  of 
the  teacher  truly  remunerative. 

It  was  not  necessary  for  the  laboratory  to  send  a  special 
messenger  to  the  butcher  shop  to  get  the  specimens  and  then 
to  have  them  all  prepared,  so  that  if  he  should  happen  to  find 
a  moment  outside  of  "  student  acti\dties  "  he  could  give  them 
a  passing  glance.  No;  he  had  time  for  this  work,  and  knew 
the  way  to  the  little  abattoir  where  the  native  animals  were 
slaughtered;  and  the  men  in  charge  did  everj^thing  they  could 
for  the  big,  genial  student,  so  interested  in  everj'thing  that 
pertained  to  animals.  In  the  laboratory  where  the  work  was 
done,  he  soon  won  over  the  other  students,  especially  by  the 
account  he  gave  of  its  meaning  in  the  students'  society  of 
comparative  medicine.  Soon  they  were  ready  to  save  any- 
thing from  their  dissections  that  they  thought  Pearson  wanted. 

In  working  out  his  problem,  many  unexpected  facts  became 
apparent,  and  complexities  of  structure  not  hinted  at  in  the 
textbooks  of  human,  veterinary  and  comparative  anatomy. 
These  difficulties  brought  out  in  relief  his  native  honesty  and 
self-reliance,  for  he  felt  sure  the  specimens  -v^ere  right,  what- 
3  33 


5Fn  ;f^emortdm 


ever  the  textbooks  might  say.  These  complexities  also  brought 
out  his  literary  and  historical  instincts,  which  are  shown  by 
the  keen  analysis  of  the  views  of  the  best  men  who  had  written 
upon  the  subject,  and  by  his  restless  search  among  the  works 
of  the  old  anatomists,  as  shown  by  his  bibliography. 

One  day  a  farmer  brought  into  the  laboratory  the  heart  and 
lungs  of  a  cow  that  he  had  slaughtered.  He  had  brought 
them  to  Dr.  Law  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  and  not  finding 
Dr.  Law  he  had  brought  them  to  us.  I  told  Mr.  Pearson  that 
here  was  some  real  work,  like  that  which  was  sure  to  confront 
him  in  actual  life,  and  gave  him  the  opportunity  to  determine 
the  trouble.  A  teacher  never  forgets  the  light  that  shines 
forth  from  the  eyes  of  some  of  his  pupils  in  high  moments; 
and  this  was  a  high  moment  for  him,  for  it  w^as  his  first  great 
test.  In  meeting  this  test  he  showed  another  sure  sign  of  his 
future  success.  Everything  he  had  already  learned  came 
naturally  into  service.  Only  slight  help  was  needed  in  the 
processes  he  had  not  yet  become  familiar  with.  Tubercle  bacilli 
were  demonstrated  in  the  clearest  manner  possible  in  both 
smears  and  in  sections,  thus  making  the  diagnosis  certain.  Of 
course,  no  one  can  estimate  the  effect  of  such  an  experience  at 
the  beginning  of  one's  career.  He,  in  after  years,  recalled  this 
incident  as  one  of  much  importance  in  his  life. 

And  now  that  Dr.  Pearson's  work  is  done,  it  is  only  left  for 
us  to  put  the  wreath  of  affection  and  respect  upon  his  tomb; 
and,  as  I  do  my  share  of  this,  it  is  with  feelings  of  gratitude 
that  there  was  granted  me  the  privilege  of  teaching  and  en- 
couraging this  noble  man  at  the  beginning  of  his  career. 

From  Veranus  A.  Moore,  Director  of  New  York  State  Veter- 
inary College  and  Professor  of  Comparative  and  Veter- 
inary Pathology  and  Bacteriology  and  of  Meat  Inspection, 
Cornell  University: 
My  first  remembrance  of  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson  is  meeting 
him,  during  our  college  days,  in  a  railroad  train  between  Ithaca 
34 


Heonarti  ^eat^fon 


and  Elmira,  when  he  was  about  to  take  a  trip  with  Dr.  James 
Law  to  investigate  contagious  pleuropneumonia.  He  was  full 
of  enthusiasm  over  the  possibility  of  a  valuable  professional 
experience,  and  I  have  often  thought  of  the  wholesome  joy 
and  delight  radiating  from  his  countenance  on  that  occasion. 
I  remember  how  emphatic  were  his  words  of  admiration  and 
devotion  to  our  beloved  teacher.  Dr.  Law.  Throughout  his  life 
he  never  lost  his  affection  for  the  teacher  who  first  stimulated 
him  to  a  fuller  conception  of  the  work  and  duties  of  his  chosen 
profession.  From  the  days  we  met  as  students,  until  his  un- 
timely death,  I  enjoyed  and  fully  appreciated  his  friendship. 
During  recent  years  I  have  often  consulted  him,  worked  with 
him  on  committees  and  commissions,  and  always  found  him  a 
true  and  worthy  leader. 

The  public  eye  was  first  drawn  to  Dr.  Pearson  in  con- 
nection with  the  use  of  tuberculin.  The  first  herd  of  cattle 
tested  with  tuberculin  in  this  country  was  under  his  immediate 
supervision.  He  was  a  firm  believer  in  tuberculin  as  a  diag- 
nostic agent,  and  his  writings  and  addresses  gave  character 
and  strength  to  the  earlier  work  directed  toward  the  control 
and  final  eradication  of  bovine  tuberculosis.  His  efforts  to 
produce  a  practical  method  for  immimizing  cattle  against  this 
disease  were  characterized  by  calm  but  persistent  determination 
to  succeed  if  success  in  that  direction  were  possible. 

Dr.  Pearson  was  a  trained  man.  His  course  at  Cornell 
University,  where  he  stood  high  as  a  student,  his  professional 
training  in  the  veterinary  department  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  and,  later,  his  study  in  the  Thierarztlich  Hoch- 
schule  of  Berlin,  fitted  him  in  a  masterly  way  for  his  great 
work.  Because  he  was  scientific  as  well  as  practical,  he  was 
able  to  avoid  many  of  the  pitfalls  that  beset  a  professional 
career.  He  had  lofty  ideals  for  the  veterinary  profession  in 
America.  ISTo  one  recognized  more  keenly  than  he  the  weakness 
of  American  veterinary  education.  When  it  became  my  duty 
to  recommend  to  our  president  a  man  to  succeed  Dr.  Law  as 


3Fn  ;^emoriam 


professor  of  veteriuar}-  medicine  in  our  institution,  I  consulted 
Dr.  Pearson.  After  discussing  the  general  situation  and  the 
available  men,  he  made  this  very  significant  statement :  "  If 
you  want  a  good  teacher  of  veterinary  medicine,  you  must  make 
him.  Take  one  of  your  young  men  with  a  good  preliminary 
education  and  send  him  to  Germany,  where  the  methods  for 
teaching  veterinary  medicine  are  reduced  to  a  scientific  basis, 
as  they  are  in  this  country  for  chemistry  and  bacteriology." 
No  one  deplored  more  than  he  the  fact  that  our  veterinaiy 
institutions  and  teaching  were  not  on  a  higher  plane.  I  remem- 
ber so  well  hearing  him  in  a  private  conversation  give  expression 
to  his  deep  disappointment  after  trying  to  interest  certain 
moneyed  men  in  the  endowment  of  veterinarj'-  colleges.  He 
felt  that  until  we  had  adequate  educational  facilities  the  veter- 
inarian would  of  necessity  lack  the  training  which  makes  a 
practical  man  more  practical  and  a  noble  profession  still  more 
useful  and  ennobling.  With  ideals  well  founded  in  the  teach- 
ings of  the  best  universities  in  the  world,  he  was  stri\ang  with 
constantly  increasing  success  to  bring  into  existence  a  vet- 
erinary college  and  a  state  veterinar\^  sendee  that  should  have, 
from  the  point  of  view  of  efficiency,  no  superior  and  few,  if 
any,  equals  in  the  world. 

The  most  gracious  element  in  his  overflowing  manly  nature 
was  his  ability  to  meet  disappointment  and  to  accept  adverse 
decisions  when  they  seemed  to  others  to  be  in  the  direction  of 
the  greatest  good.  No  one  familiar  with  the  political  and 
professional  battles  that  one  in  his  position  and  with  his  ideals 
had  to  wage  can  refrain  from  expressing  the  highest  and 
keenest  admiration  for  his  leadership.  Fortunately  for  the 
causes  he  represented,  he  so  impressed  himself  upon  his  asso- 
ciates that  his  motives  are  still  operating,  his  plans  are  being 
crystallized  and  his  ideals  are  being  attained.  His  life  was 
short,  but  the  generation  to  come  will  learn  that  it  was  by  the 
unselfish  lives  of  such  men  as  Leonard  Pearson  that  progress 
in  veterinary  medicine  in  America  was  made  possible. 
36 


Heonarti  ^ear^on 


From  Juan  Guiteras,  Professor  of  General  rathology  and 
Tropical  Diseases,  University  of  Havana: 

I  have  not  been  able  to  follow  closely  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson's 
career  during  the  later  and  more  fruitful  part  of  his  life;  nor 
have  I  the  data  at  hand  to  write  a  biographical  article,  nor 
a  laudatory  one  worthy  of  the  subject. 

It  was  my  privilege  to  follow  the  first  development  of  his 
activities.  I  spent  several  months  with  him  in  Berlin,  where 
we  pursued  together  the  course  in  bacteriology  at  the  Institute 
of  Hygiene,  and,  as  a  member  of  the  veterinary  faculty  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  with  him,  I  saw  him  throw  his 
powerful  energies  into  the  organization  of  that  school. 

In  Europe,  among  all  the  fellow-students,  I  can  see  distinctly 
standing  out  his  fine,  manly  type  of  American  worker;  and 
during  our  fellowship  in  the  university  faculty  I  hold  dear  the 
memory  of  my  relations  with  him,  and  the  all-inspiring  in- 
fluence of  his  quiet,  honest,  well-directed  and  powerful  de- 
termination. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  feel  in  communion,  through  the  pages  of 
this  book,  with  the  family  and  the  friends  of  such  a  man. 

From  Alonzo  Exglebert  Taylor,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Physio- 
logical Chemistry,  University  of  Pennsylvania: 
In  the  autumn  of  1890  two  young  American  students  met 
by  chance  in  a  persionat  in  Berlin,  They  were  Leonard  Pearson 
and  the  wni-iter.  During  the  months  of  the  fall  and  early 
winter  this  acquaintanceship  developed  into  a  firm  and  lasting 
friendship.  At  the  commencement  of  the  new  year,  the  two 
students  resolved  to  live  together,  and,  securing  quarters  in 
the  Studentenviertel  in  the  Linden  Strasse,  they  lived  together 
until  the  close  of  the  summer  semester.  They  severed  all 
relations  mth  the  American  colony,  spoke  German  together 
and  associated  almost  exclusively  with  Gennan  students  and 
instructors.  At  the  close  of  the  summer  semester  of  1891  they 
separated  for  travel,  to  meet  by  appointment  in  September 
37 


5n  f^tmotiam 


in  Eotterdam.  Prom  there  they  returned  to  America,  Leonard 
Pearson  to  occupy  his  first  official  position  in  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  the  writer  to  enter  upon  the  study  of  medicine 
in  the  same  institution.  During  the  years  of  the  nineties  it 
was  often  the  privilege  of  the  writer  to  discuss  with  Leonard 
Pearson  his  work  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania;  and  having 
had  the  earliest  insight  into  the  conception  of  this  work  during 
their  student  residence  in  Berlin,  the  writer  feels  himself  in 
a  peculiar  sense  competent  to  indicate  the  course  of  develop- 
ment of  his  undertakings,  the  magnitude  and  importance  of 
which  only  the  future  decades  will  fully  estimate  and  measure. 

Leonard  Pearson  came  to  Berlin,  like  most  American  stu- 
dents, saturated  with  chauvinism.  By  ancestry  strongly  marked 
with  rugged  Americanism,  he  had  little  patience  with  that 
minute  organization  of  Grerman  society  that  led  to  the  factor 
of  paternal  control  in  the  most  trivial  details  of  life.  Filled 
with  rich  enthusiasm,  imbued  with  high  ideals,  and  possessed 
of  superior  intellectualism,  he  represented  the  b'est  product  of 
the  American  college  education.  Pearson  had  deliberately 
selected  for  his  life  work  the  diseases  of  animals,  largely,  he 
used  to  say,  from  a  feeling  of  pantheism.  In  an  age  of  pseudo- 
sentimentalism,  his  sane  and  sympathetic  appreciation  of  the 
brothers  of  the  animal  kingdom  was  founded  upon  the  natural 
feelings  of  humanity  and  guided  by  the  ideals  of  natural 
science.  To  the  German  university  he  owed  the  trend  his  work 
later  assumed. 

In  the  beginning,  his  work  dealt  largely  with  comparative 
pathology,  rather  than  with  practical  veterinary  medicine.  He 
soon,  however,  came  to  recognize  in  sanitary  science  the  real 
discipline  in  which  his  interest  was  to  centre.  The  Gemian 
system  of  meat  inspection  was  first  mastered.  The  science  of 
animal  hygiene,  con-elated  to  the  public  health  on  the  one  hand, 
and  to  industrialism  on  the  other,  had  in  Germany,  under  the 
influence  of  the  fostering  care  of  the  system  of  militarism, 
developed  to  a  state  of  high  perfection  at  the  time  of  his  period 
38 


Heonarb  l^ear^on 


of  study  there.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  was  in  the  working 
out  of  this  branch  of  sanitary  science  that  the  remarkable 
German  development  of  organization  was  first  fully  applied  to 
the  problems  of  hygiene.  The  organization  of  the  Gesundheit- 
samt,  the  establishment  of  the  institutes  for  the  study  of 
infectious  diseases,  and  the  popularization  of  the  science  of 
bacteriolog}'-,  all  date  from  this  general  period.  During  the 
latter  part  of  his  period  of  study  in  Berlin,  Leonard  Pearson 
devoted  much  more  time  to  the  three  named  institutions  than 
to  the  study  of  comparative  pathology.  He  found  therein  the 
preparations  for  the  work  which  he  foresaw  to  be  in  the  future 
the  necessity  of  the  American  state.  He  felt  that  for  him  and 
his  ideals  in  work  the  scholastic  investigation  into  the  causes 
of  disease  was  far  less  important  than  the  organization  of  a 
system  of  sanitary  science  which  would  enable  the  state  to 
protect  itself  from  the  ravages  of  disease.  And  thus  the  radical 
and  critical  American  youth  became  converted  to  the  most 
deeply-felt  respect  for  the  Teutonic  system  of  sanitary  organiza- 
tion. He  formed  a  pronounced  interest  in  the  details  of 
military  organization,  and  whenever  possible  attended  the 
manoeuvres  executed  in  the  vicinity  of  Berlin.  Realizing  that 
the  more  or  less  militaristic  tools  with  which  the  operations 
of  the  organization  were  executed  in  Germany  were  not  avail- 
able, nor,  indeed,  desirable  in  the  United  States,  he  devoted 
himself  to  such  reorganization  and  recasting  of  the  German 
system  as  would  adapt  it  to  the  social  and  political  conditions 
of  this  country.     This  was  the  work  of  the  nineties. 

The  work  of  the  Live  Stock  Sanitary  Board  carried  him 
into  all  classes,  and  into  many  places  to  which  he  had  not 
been  accustomed.  He  once  said  that  his  work  brought  him 
into  contact  with  individuals  and  conditions  for  which  he  felt 
abhorrence  rather  than  s}Tnpathy;  but  he  felt  it  necessary  for 
the  future  good  of  the  state  to  convert  all  classes,  industrial 
and  political,  to  the  doctrine  of  modem  sanitar}'^  science. 

Discouragements  were  innumerable,  the  way  was  often  hard 
39 


5Fn  ;i^emoriam 


and  beset  with  obstacles.  It  was  under  such  circumstances 
that  the  objective,  optimistic  nature  made  itself  felt.  Prac- 
tically alone,  Leonard  Pearson  accomplished  a  large  work  for 
the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  for  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  for  the  advancement  of  sanitary  science.  I  know  of  no 
one  in  this  country  so  admirably  fitted  to  devise,  organize  and 
carry  into  execution  a  large  scheme  of  sanitary  science  applied 
to  animal  industry.  To  have  possessed  his  time  and  talents 
was  a  great  fortune  for  the  state  of  Pennsylvania.  The  record 
of  work  in  this  state  will  serve  as  an  admirable  model  for 
other  states  of  the  commonwealth.  His  death  in  his  very  prime, 
before  the  time,  indeed,  at  which  men  are  called  middle-aged, 
is  a  heavy  loss  to  the  cause  of  preventive  medicine  in  the  United 
States.  Pasteur  taught  the  world  that  the  hand  that  masters 
the  scourge  of  the  silkworm  is  qualified  also  to  master  the 
scourge  of  hydrophobia.  Of  this  point  of  view  in  science  the 
work  of  Leonard  Pearson  was  an  illustration.  We  are  all 
members  of  one  guild,  we  follow  one  purpose,  we  aim  at  one 
ideal.  The  share  that  fell  to  the  mind  and  hand  of  Leonard 
Pearson  was  a  large  measure,  and  large  was  the  accomplish- 
ment. 

To  the  writer,  the  student  friend  with  whom  Leonard  Pearson 
shared  cupboard  and  den,  his  death  is  a  deep  personal  loss.  In 
one  particular  personal  sense,  the  writer  owes  to  Leonard 
Pearson  that  which  cannot  be  expressed  in  words  or  measured 
with  terms.  As  a  slight  expression  of  this  obligation,  the  writer 
records  this  appreciation  of  his  character,  his  talents,  and  his 
accomplishments. 

From  John    Marshall,    M.D.,    Professor    of    Physiological 
Chemistry  and  Toxicology,  University  of  Pennsylvania: 
Others  more  familiar  with  his  work  will  speak  of  Dr.  Pear- 
son's scientific   attainments    and    achievements.     My    feelings 
incline  me  to  speak  of  him  as  a  man.    It  was  my  good  fortune 
to  be  associated  with  him  as  my  pupil,  as  my  colleague  in  the 
40 


Eeonarti  ^ear^on 


faculty  of  the  veterinary  school,  and  as  my  friend.  Through 
all  these  years  of  association,  and  they  were  rather  close,  not  the 
slightest  thought  or  semblance  of  misunderstanding  occurred. 
No  man  had  a  more  punctilious  respect  for  righteousness  in  the 
everyday  tilings  of  life  and  for  honorable  behaviour  towards 
his  fellow-man  than  Dr.  Pearson.  This  was  not  an  assumed 
quality,  but  undoubtedly  was  innate,  and  unconsciously 
throughout  his  life  he  carried  out  the  precept,  "  What  you 
do  not  want  done  to  yourself  do  not  do  to  others."  He  was 
a  manly  man,  with  a  sweetness  of  disposition  rarely  found 
among  men.  His  passing  away  was  a  sad,  deep  loss  to  me, 
but  the  remembrance  of  the  sunny  warmth  of  his  friendship 
stays  with  me  as  a  sweet  memory. 

From  X.  B.  Critchfield,  Secretary  of  Agi'iculture  of  Penn- 
sylvania : 

It  is  most  fitting  that  we  should  now  and  then,  in  the  midst 
of  our  work  for  the  welfare  of  humanity,  pause  and  give  a 
moment's  thought  to  the  memory  of  the  noble  men  who  in  the 
past  have  been  associated  with  us  in  this  work,  and  whose 
wise  planning  has  made  it  possible  for  us  to  do  much  more 
for  the  generation  to  which  we  belong  than  could  have  been 
accomplished  without  their  help. 

Most  prominent  in  the  list  of  men  whose  wise  counsel  and 
unselfish  devotion  have  been  a  guide  and  inspiration  to  their 
companions  we  enroll  the  name  of  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson.  He 
was  a  prince  among  men,  and  his  death  was  a  personal  loss 
to  every  one  of  his  associates. 

My  acquaintance  with  Dr.  Pearson  began  in  1891.  Although 
by  many  years  his  senior,  I  soon  discovered  that  he  possessed 
qualities  of  mind  and  heart  which,  by  natural  impulse,  drew 
me  to  him,  and  there  spran^  up  between  us  a  friendship  warm 
and  cordial  that  continued  until  the  day  of  his  death. 

No  one  could  know  him  without  appreciating  his  great 
worth.  In  every  relation  of  life  his  true  manhood  was  apparent 
41 


3^n  i^emortam 


and,  in  the  fullest  meaning  of  the  word,  he  was  a  gentleman. 
In  all  my  associations  I  have  never  known  anyone  who,  in  so 
rare  a  degree,  possessed  the  faculty  of  making  friends  of  all 
whom  he  met.  His  native  candor  and  open-heartedness  drew 
men  to  him  and  made  them  feel  that  they  could  trust  him, 
and  no  man  who  gave  to  him  his  confidence  was  ever  deceived. 
With  his  superior  traits  of  character  were  combined  remark- 
able scholarly  attainments,  by  which  he  was  peculiarly  fitted 
for  the  research  work  in  which  he  took  great  interest  and  in 
which  he  was  successful  in  extending  the  limits  of  human 
Icnowledge  and  improving  the  condition  of  our  race. 

The  man  who  discovers  some  new  method  of  preventing  dis- 
ease or  alleviating  suffering  leaves  a  memorial  of  himiself 
which  can  never  be  forgotten;  he  contributes  to  the  happiness 
of  generations  yet  unborn,  and  so  becomes  a  fellow-worker 
with  the  Divine  Father  in  caring  for  His  creatures.  Such  was 
the  work  of  Dr.  Pearson  and  such  the  memorial  he  has  left  us. 

We  cannot  laiow  a  man  thoroughly  without  meeting  him 
in  his  own  home.  In  his  home  more  than  an}^"iere  else  the 
genuine  qualities  of  the  true  man  are  to  be  seen.  It  was  my 
privilege  to  meet  Dr.  Pearson  frequently  in  his  home;  and 
to  witness  his  devotion  to  his  mother  and  sisters,  who  occupied 
the  home  with  him,  was  an  inspiration.  The  gentleness  of 
spirit  and  manner  that  was  always  apparent  was  especially 
noticeable  in  the  home.  I  recall,  as  though  it  were  but  yester- 
day, the  incidents  connected  with  my  first  visit  to  his  home, 
and  especially  the  affectionate  manner  and  manly  pride  that 
were  manifest  when  in  introducing  me  he  said,  "  This  is  my 
mother."  It  may  seem  like  a  trifling  fancy,  but  I  cannot 
avoid  the  disposition  to  estimate  a  man,  to  some  extent  at 
least,  by  the  regard  he  manifests  for  his  mother.  To  that 
mother  whose  home  has  been  made  desolate  b}'*  the  removal 
of  my  dear  friend,  my  heart  goes  out  in  sympathy  as  I  write 
these  lines,  and  I  trust  that  in  her  great  sorrow  she  may  have 
the  comfort  that  comes  from  the  assurance  that  no  event  can 
42 


Eeonarli  ^tat^on 


come  to  us  in  this  world  without  the  permission  of  Him  who 
is  too  wise  to  err  and  from  whose  care  none  of  His  creatures 
are  absent  for  a  single  moment  of  time. 

From  Prof.  Dr.  Robert  Ostertag,  Geh.  Regierungsrat  u. 
Direktor  der  Veterinar-Abteilung  d.  Kaiserl.  Gesund- 
heitsamts  zu  Berlin: 

Twenty  years  ago,  when  municipal  veterinary  surgeon  of 
Berlin,  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  an  interesting  young  man, 
Leonard  Pearson,  who  had  come  from  the  United  States  to  study 
the  German  methods  of  teaching  and  of  scientific  research. 
His  sparkling,  soulful  eye,  indicative  of  determination,  his 
delightful  personality,  his  noble  character,  charmed  everyone 
who  came  in  contact  with  him  and  gained  for  him  friends  at 
once.  I,  too,  became  his  friend  at  our  first  meeting  which  our 
mutual  desire  for  knowledge  brought  about;  I  remained  his 
friend  as  long  as  he  lived  and  shall  continue  to  be  such  beyond 
the  grave  which  unfortunately  closed  upon  him  so  prematurely. 

A  journey  to  London,  to  attend  the  Seventh  Congress  for 
International  Hygiene,  brought  us  into  closer  relations.  We 
lodged  together  and  spent  happy  and  harmonious  days  in  the 
city  on  the  Thames,  where  he  proved  a  faithful  mentor  for 
me,  who  was  but  slightly  acquainted  with  English.  At  that 
time,  too,  I  formed  the  resolve  to  visit  the  United  States  at  the 
first  opportunity,  to  gaze  upon  the  marvels  of  the  New  World 
and  to  see  the  development  of  veterinary  medicine  in  the  new 
veterinary  schools  which  were  endeavoring,  with  the  wonted 
energy  so  characteristic  of  the  United  States,  to  substitute  a 
veterinary  science  for  empiricism.  What  noble  ardor  possessed 
this  youth,  with  the  bearing  of  a  man,  when  he  explained  to  me 
how  much,  indeed  how  everything,  still  remained  to  be  done 
for  veterinary  medicine  in  the  United  States !  How  he  fairly 
glowed  with  the  desire  to  undertake  this  task ! 

Thanks  to  his  learning,  his  scholarly  attainments,  his  inde- 
fatigable zeal,  his  faithful  work  and  his  winning  manner,  which 
43 


S^n  jHemoriam 


won  for  him  friends  and  protectors,  he  attained  his  goal.  He 
did  not  strive  in  vain  for  recognition  in  his  native  land,  to 
which  we  Germans  are  so  attached  through  the  manifold  bonds 
of  relationship  on  both  sides  of  the  water.  John  Marshall, 
who  was  at  that  time  dean  of  the  veterinary  school  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  recognized  at  once  that  in  Leonard 
Pearson  he  had  found  a  representative  of  the  youthful  science 
of  veterinary  medicine,  who  was  well  grounded  in  his  science, 
reliable  and  ambitious,  and  he  furthered  him  in  every  possible 
way. 

How  proudly  Leonard  Pearson  wrote  me  that  he  had  been 
made  dean  of  the  veterinary  faculty  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  that  the  way  was  now  open  for  a  further  develop- 
ment of  veterinary  medicine  in  Pennsylvania.  How  gratefully 
he  acknowledged  the  kindness  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  in 
maJfing  him  state  veterinarian  and  in  placing  at  his  disposal 
the  necessary  means  for  carrying  out  experiments  on  a  large 
scale. 

Through  his  labors  as  a  teacher,  scientist  and  organizer, 
Leonard  Pearson  fully  justified  the  confidence  placed  in  him 
in  such  large  measure.  His  scientific  work  has  found  recog- 
nition far  beyond  the  borders  of  his  native  land — I  call  to 
mind  in  this  connection  especially  his  able  investigations  of 
tuberculosis — his  efforts  as  a  teacher  and  organizer  have  to  a 
large  extent  formed  the  basis  of  the  present  standing  of  vet- 
erinary medicine  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  and  form  for 
Leonard  Pearson  a  monumentum  acre  perennjiis. 

In  1904  I  fulfilled  my  promise,  given  to  Leonard  Pearson 
in  London  in  1891,  and  visited  him  at  the  seat  of  his  activities. 
With  justifiable  pride  he  showed  me  the  veterinary  school  of 
the  university  and  introduced  me  to  his  family,  where  I  met 
his  idolized  mother  and  adored  sister.  He  conducted  me  to  his 
numerous  friends  in  whose  midst  I  was  privileged  to  spend  a 
memorable  evening.  His  friends  became  my  friends.  I  know 
how  delighted  Leonard  Pearson,  to  whom  I  was  attached  by 
44 


Eeonarti  ^earjfon 


constant  correspondence,  and  who  never  failed  to  visit  me  when- 
ever he  went  abroad,  was  that  I  had  come  to  the  United  States. 
He  helped  me  to  plan  my  trip  in  advance,  and  made  my  journey 
more  agreeable  by  means  of  letters  of  introduction  to  his  friends. 

After  my  visit  in  Philadelpliia  I  saw  Leonard  Pearson  but 
once  more.  Three  years  later  he  visited  me  in  his  accustomed 
manner  in  Berlin,  where  we  revelled  in  old  memories,  made  new 
plans  and  promised  ourselves  the  pleasure  of  meeting  again  at 
the  International  Veterinary  CongTess  which  met  last  year  at 
The  Hague.  Providence  ordained  it  otherwise.  Leonard  Pear- 
son, the  indefatigable,  overtaxed  his  strength  and  a  sad  fate 
snatched  him  from  the  circle  of  his  family,  friends,  pupils  and 
colleagues,  from  the  midst  of  his  scientij&c  activity  and  his  work 
of  organization. 

We,  the  friends  of  this  man,  who  may  be  justly  called  a  man, 
stand  as  mourners  beside  the  grassy  mound  that  covers  his 
mortal  remains.  But  we  stand  united  by  the  love  and  the 
memory  which  we  have  preserved  for  him  beyond  the  grave, 
and  by  the  consoling  consciousness  that  our  friend,  of  whom 
death  has  deprived  us  all  too  earl}-,  has  not  lived  in  vain. 
Leonard  Pearson's  labors  will  speak  for  him  even  in  far  distant 
times.  Sleep  gently,  beloved  friend,  the  never-ending  sleep, 
which  after  life's  fitful  fever  gives  us  eternal  repose,  gently 
sleep ! 

From  John  Hamilton,  Farmers'  Institute  Specialist,  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture : 
I  had  knovni  Dr.  Pearson  casually  as  he  visited  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  College  to  lecture  to  its  winter  classes  as  far  back 
as  1892.  Our  real  acquaintance,  however,  began  in  the  winter 
of  1896,  when  he  was  first  appointed  to  the  position  of  veter- 
inarian in  the  Department  of  Agriculture  at  Harrisburg.  For 
over  seven  years  we  were  associated  in  that  department,  and 
for  almost  four  years  of  that  time  Ave  were  both  members  of 
the   State  Live    Stock   Sanitary   Board,   the   duties   of  which 


S'n  J^cmoriam 


required  us  to  confer  frequently  in  respect  to  the  administration 
of  the  live  stock  sanitary  laws,  and  to  cooperate  in  formulating 
and  securing  new  legislation  along  these  lines,  I  had  there 
full  opportunity  for  knowing  him  both  as  a  public  official  in 
the  organization  and  administration  of  his  office,  and  as  an 
expert  in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

The  injunction  of  the  law  under  which  his  office  Avas  created 
was :  "  To  protect  the  health  of  the  domestic  animals  of  the 
state  and  to  determine  and  employ  the  most  efficient  and  prac- 
tical means  for  the  prevention,  suppression,  control  or  eradica- 
tion of  dangerous,  contagious,  or  infectious  diseases  among 
domestic  animals."  Although  the  act  was  very  comprehensive 
and  clear  in  its  provisions,  it  nevertheless  left  the  devising  of 
methods  and  the  prescribing  of  regulations  for  carrying  it 
into  effect  to  the  judgment  of  those  who  were  to  administer  it. 
Other  states  had  laws  of  similar  character,  but  they  differed 
so  radically  in  important  particulars  that  there  was  practically 
no  agreem'ent  as  to  the  best  methods  of  carrying  on  this  kind 
of  protective  work.  It  was  a  new  field  in  sanitary  science  with 
no  satisfactory  precedents  to  guide. 

Dr.  Pearson  immediately  took  up  the  task  of  organizing 
his  department  for  administering  the  law,  and  the  efficient 
manner  in  which  he  performed  this  duty  is  attested  to  by  the 
results  accomplished  after  thirteen  years  of  effort.  Prejudice 
against  the  tuberculin  test,  at  first  very  general  throughout  the 
state,  gave  way  to  recognition  of  its  value.  In  consequence  of 
its  use  and  the  measures  that  he  took  for  the  eradication  of 
the  disease,  the  percentage  of  tuberculous  animals  in  the  state 
was  greatly  reduced.  Legislation  for  protection  against  glanders, 
anthrax,  rabies,  tuberculous  milk  and  meat,  was  enacted  at  his 
instance,  as  well  as  laws  prohibiting  the  introduction  of  in- 
fected or  diseased  animals  from  other  states,  and  for  raising 
the  standard  of  qualification  of  practitioners  in  veterinary  medi- 
cine and  surgery.  He  established  a  bacteriological  laboratory 
at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  for  scientific  investigation 


itconarti  ^ear^on 


and  for  the  production  of  mallein,  tuberculin  and  vaccine,  and 
conducted  experiments  with  tuberculosis  of  animals  both  at  the 
university  and  later,  on  a  more  extensive  scale,  upon  a  farm 
purchased  and  equipped  for  the  purpose  by  the  state. 

A  force  of  veterinarians  in  the  state  was  selected  and  organ- 
ized by  him,  until  at  present  an  outbreak  of  dangerous  disease 
in  any  section  of  the  commonwealth  can  be  promptly  diagnosed 
and  skilled  men  sufficient  in  number  to  control  and  suppress 
it  can  be  immediately  had.  The  entire  organization  of  live 
stock  sanitary  control  in  the  state  is  the  work  of  Dr.  Pearson. 
It  is  acknowledged  to  be  a  model  of  its  kind,  and  has  been 
largely  copied  by  other  states.  His  interest  in  the  public  wel- 
fare was  sincere,  and  he  possessed  with  it  an  enthusiasm  for 
rendering  sei-vice  that  never  failed;  at  the  same  time  he  was 
neither  visionary  nor  hast^'^  in  his  decisions  or  action,  but  was 
studiously  conservative  in  all  his  plans,  and  extremely  careful 
and  painstaking  in  carrying  on  his  work.  He  was  a  good  judge 
of  human  nature,  believed  in  men  and  trusted  them  to  do 
what  was  right  if  the  right  was  clearly  shown.  Out  of  this 
confidence  in  others  grew  much  of  his  ability  to  interest  and 
secure  the  cooperation  of  all  classes,  skilled  and  unskilled,  in 
administering  the  law.  He  was  methodical  in  the  conduct  of 
his  office;  was  a  clear,  well-balanced  tliinker;  a  patient  and 
painstaking  experimenter;  an  agreeable  and  fluent  speaker; 
and  a  logical  and  forceful  writer,  as  his  numerous  published 
reports  and  addresses  abundantly  show. 

Dr.  Pearson's  standing  from  a  professional  point  of  view 
may  be  briefly  and  truly  stated  in  the  words:  ''He  stood  at 
the  head."  Immediately  upon  his  return  from  attending  the 
veterinary  schools  in  German)^  in  1892,  he  was  appointed  non- 
resident professor  of  veterinary  medicine  in  the  Pennsylvania 
State  College,  and  four  years  later  to  the  position  of  state 
veterinarian.  In  1897  he  was  made  dean  of  the  School  of 
"Veterinary  Science  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  which 
he  had  been  a  professor  since  1891,  and  at  the  age  of  forty-one, 
47 


S^n  i^emoriam 


the  time  of  liis  death,  ouly  seventeen  years  out  of  college,  he 
was  recognized  both  in  this  country  and  abroad  as  a  leading 
authority  in  several  important  branches  of  veterinary  science. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  International  Congress  on  Tuberculosis 
in  Washington,  in  1908,  at  which  were  assembled  leading  men 
in  sanitary  science  from  all  over  the  world,  Dr.  Pearson  was 
selected  for  president  of  the  section  on  Tuberculosis  in  Animals 
and  its  Eelation  to  Man,  and  was  called  to  preside  over  the 
joint  session  of  the  sections  at  which  Dr.  Robert  Koch,  of 
Berlin,  appeared  as  the  principal  speaker.  Wlien  the  vacancy 
occurred  in  the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry  of  the  Department 
of  Agriculture  of  the  United  States,  through  the  resignation 
of  Dr.  Salmon,  Dr.  Pearson  was  tendered  the  position  of  chief 
of  that  bureau,  but  declined  because  of  his  obligations  to  the 
university  in  which  he  had  worked  so  long,  and  the  opportunities 
for  usefulness  that  presented  themselves  in  connection  with  his 
official  position  at  the  head  of  the  veterinary  department  in 
his  state.  He  was  frequently  consulted  by  both  state  and 
national  authorities  in  diagnosing  new  diseases  and  in  prescrib- 
ing for  the  treatment  of  outbreaks  of  such  as  were  highly  con- 
tagious or  infectious  and  that  threatened  widespread  damage 
and  great  pecuniary  loss  to  the  animal  industrj^  of  the  countr3^ 
His  efforts  to  stamp  out  the  recent  outbreak  of  foot-and-mouth 
disease  in  his  own  state,  added  to  duties  that  had  already 
overtaxed  his  physical  and  mental  powers,  are  no  doubt  respon- 
sible for  the  breakdown  that  ended  in  his  death. 

However  much  he  will  be  missed  in  his  official  relations  and 
be  regretted  by  his  profession,  lie  will  be  most  mourned  by 
those  whom  he  had  endeared  to  himself  as  personal  friends, 
and  their  number  is  very  large.  He  was  a  refined  and  cour- 
teous gentleman,  a  sincere  and  sympathetic  friend.  He  was 
clean  of  speech  and  pure  in  thought  and  life,  considerate  in 
dealing  with  the  opinions  and  prejudices  of  those  with  whom 
he  differed,  and  always  charitable  in  his  judgment  of  other 
men. 

48 


Hconarti  ^ear^afon 


Our  relations,  begun  in  an  official  way  in  1896,  soon  ripened 
into  close  friendship  that  remained  unbroken  to  the  last.  We 
exchanged  confidences  with  entire  freedom,  assured  that  noth- 
ing that  might  prove  embarrassing  for  others  to  know  would 
be  revealed.  When  I  last  saw  him  we  met  in  the  new  National 
Museum  in  Washington,  D.  C,  at  the  time  of  the  Tuberculosis 
Congress,  a  little  over  one  year  ago.  We  spent  possibly  a 
half-hour  together,  talking  over  his  work  and  mine,  and  in- 
quiring about  old  friends  whom  we  had  both  known  so  well, 
but  who  had  passed  away.  I  then  cautioned  him  against  over- 
work, little  thinking  that  the  breaking-point  was  so  near.  His 
death  is  to  me  a  personal  bereavement.  Most  of  us  come  in 
contact  with  but  few  such  men  in  a  life  of  mingling  with  others, 
and  very  rarely  indeed  are  we  privileged  to  claim  one  such  as  a 
personal  friend. 

His  short  career  can  most  truthfully  be  summed  up  by  saying 
that  he  was  a  model  in  official  life;  he  always  set  for  himself 
a  high  standard  in  professional  work;  he  was  a  gentle,  un- 
assuming and  faithful  friend,  a  noble  example  of  true  man- 
hood, and  an  inspiration  for  all  public  men  to  emulate  in  his 
unselfish  devotion  to  the  general  good.  In  his  death  the  state 
lost  a  most  efficient  officer  and  public  servant,  the  veterinary 
profession,  one  of  its  most  capable  and  distinguished  scientific 
workers,  and  those  of  us  who  knew  and  loved  him,  a  most 
charming  and  helpful  personal  friend. 

From  W.  H.  Dalrymple,  M.E.C.V.S.,  Veterinarian,  Louisiana 
State  University: 
The   untimely  demise   of  Dr.   Leonard   Pearson   has   left  a 
blank  in  the  ranks  of  the  veterinary  profession  that  will  be 
most  difficult  to  fill,  and  has  occasioned  a  loss  that  is  incal- 
culable.   No  man  of  his  years,  on  this  continent  at  least,  nor, 
perhaps,  on  any  other,  had  attained  to  such  prominence  and 
leadership  in  the  chosen  lines  of  his  life's  work.     In  America 
the  name   of  Leonard  Pearson   had  become   known   in   every 
4  49 


3Fn  ;|»[emoriam 


section;  and  to  professional  men,  and  sanitarians  generally, 
abroad  it  was  hardly  less  familiar.  He  ranked  high  among  the 
giants  of  his  chosen  profession. 

To  have  merely  known  Dr.  Pearson  was  an  honor,  but  to 
have  known  him  intimately  and  to  have  been  associated  with  him 
was  more ;  it  was  a  privilege  of  the  highest  order,  and  a  pleasure 
that  never  waned. 

The  writer  had  known,  and  at  times  been  more  or  less  closely 
associated  with,  our  deeply  lamented  friend  and  colleague  for 
in  the  neighborhood  of  fifteen  years,  and  the  longer  we  knew 
him,  the  greater  became  our  love,  admiration  and  respect  for 
him. 

Some  who  might  have  achieved  such  great  things  as  Pearson 
had,  would  have  permitted  their  successes  to  change  their  de- 
meanor. Not  so  with  him.  He  was  always  possessed  of  the 
spirit  and  characteristics  of  the  true  scientist- — meekness, 
modesty,  forbearance,  realizing  that  special  gifts  and  endow- 
ments, and  the  ability  to  execute,  called  more  for  gratitude  and 
thankfulness  than  for  a  show  of  'empty  pride. 

It  is  not  the  writer's  intention  to  try  to  enumerate  in  detail, 
nor  to  enlarge  upon,  the  varied  phases  of  Dr.  Pearson's  great 
work.  This  must  be  left  to  his  more  immediate  confreres  in 
the  city  and  state  of  his  adoption,  who  shared  with  him,  or 
assisted  in,  his  varied  labors  in  behalf  of  the  public  good — nay, 
the  good  of  humanity. 

The  writer  was  brought  more  closely  in  touch  with  Dr.  Pear- 
son in  work  along  sanitary  lines.  And,  as  is  well  known,  he 
was  always  deeply  interested  in  any  phase  of  endeavor  that  had 
a  bearing  upon  veterinary  sanitary  science.  His  plans  of  in- 
vestigation were  always  practical,  and  marked  by  sound  judg- 
ment and  carefulness  as  to  detail  and  execution. 

As  a  friend,  Pearson  was  staunch  and  true;  once  his  friend- 
ship was  gained,  it  was  lasting,  as  can  be  testified  by  all  who 
were  in  that  privileged  category,  and  their  name  is  legion. 

A  valuable  life  has  be^n  cut  short  in  the  pride  of  strong 
50 


Eeonart)  ^eariE^on 


manhood.  Pearson  has  gone  to  his  reward  to  "  that  country 
from  whose  bourn  no  traveler  returns."  And  yet  he  lives,  and 
will  live  on,  in  the  memories  of  those  who  knew  him,  and  in 
the  hearts,  as  well,  of  those  of  us  who  were  his  friends.  His 
life  and  character  were  shining  examples  of  the  manly  man,  and 
such  as  to  richly  merit  our  emulation.  May  we  all  strive  to  be 
like  him ! 

From  Mazyck  P.  Eavexel,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Bacteriology, 
University  of  Wisconsin: 

In  speaking  of  Leonard  Pearson  I  am  at  a  loss  where  to 
begin.  One  scarcely  knows  on  which  phase  of  his  character 
to  dwell  most — his  personality,  his  power  as  an  organizer,  or 
his  scientific  foresight  and  ability.  On  each  one  of  these  much 
could  be  said.  I  must  content  myself  by  giving  in  my  feeble 
way  a  general  view  of  the  man  as  he  impressed  me  in  my  daily 
association  with  him  for  upwards  of  ten  years.  If  the  personal 
element  enters  too  much  into  what  I  have  to  say,  it  must  be 
overlooked,  as  my  scientific  life  was  so  closely  bound  up  w'ith 
his  during  all  these  years,  and  our  aims  and  objects  were  so 
closely  united,  that  it  is  impossible  to  speak  of  his  scientific 
work  without  bringing  myself  in  to  some  extent.  In  fact,  much 
of  my  scientific  work  was  the  carrying  out  of  ideas  originating 
in  his  mind. 

Althougli  I  had  Imown  Dr.  Pearson  very  pleasantly  almost 
from  the  beginning  of  my  connection  with  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  in  1892,  my  intimate  association  with  him  began 
in  1895,  when  I  became  bacteriologist  of  the  State  Live  Stock 
Sanitary  Board  of  Pennsylvania,  of  which  he  w^as  secretary  and 
executive  officer.  After  a  hard  struggle,  Dr.  Pearson  had  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  sufficient  funds  for  the  beginning  of  a 
bacteriological  laboratory  in  connection  with  his  work  as  state 
veterinarian.  With  that  foresight  which  characterized  all  his 
public  work,  he  insisted  on  the  necessity  of  such  a  laboratory. 
His  recognition  of  the  importance  of  this  science  came  to  him 
51 


3Fn  i^temoriam 


daily  in  his  prolessioual  career,  and  bad  been  fostered  during 
his  studies  in  Germany,  where  he  himself  carried  out  notable 
experiments  in  regard  to  several  diseases,  especially  glanders, 
and  he  was  the  first  to  produce  the  substance  now  used  uni- 
versally for  the  diagnosis  of  this  disease,  known  as  mallein. 

AYith  each  successive  legislature  Dr.  Pearson  continued  to 
impress  on  the  public  and  the  legislators  the  importance  of 
this  branch  of  work,  and  through  his  masterly  efforts  funds 
were  given  with  a  liberal  hand,  not  only  for  the  equipment  of 
the  laboratory  itself,  but  also  for  the  establishment  of  an  ex- 
perimental stable,  and  finally  the  purchase  and  equipment  of 
an  experimental  fann.  As  these  features  of  his  work  will  no 
doubt  be  spoken  of  more  fully  by  others,  I  will  only  mention 
them  in  this  connection. 

While  the  laboratory  which  he  estaljlished  was  concerned 
largely  in  diagnostic  w'ork  and  in  the  manufacture  of  tuber- 
culin, the  experimental  side  of  medicine  was  never  lost  sight 
of.  xVgain  the  evidences  of  Dr.  Pearson's  foresight  are  most 
striking,  for  from  the  beginning  he  insisted  on  the  urgency 
of  studios  in  connection  with  the  relation  of  bovine  to  Imman 
tuberculosis.  He  held  always  that  the  diseases  were  practically 
one  and  the  same,  and  that  bovine  tuberculosis  constituted  a 
serious  menace  to  public  health.  The  verdict  of  the  world 
shows  how  correct  he  was  in  these  views. 

Coupled  with  this  belief,  was  his  recognition  of  bovine  tuber- 
culosis as  an  economic  scourge.  From  both  standpoints  the 
necessity  of  its  eradication  was  apparent.  Dr.  Pearson's  organ- 
ization of  the  office  of  state  veterinarian  of  Pennsylvania, 
with  its  numbers  of  inspectors  and  agents  for  the  enforcement 
of  quarantine,  was  in  every  respect  a  stupendous  piece  of  work. 
He  made  a  careful  study  of  the  systems  and  laws  of  every 
foreign  country  and  of  states  in  our  own  country.  The  laws 
of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  on  this  subject  since  1894  were 
practically  drawn  by  him,  and  their  enforcement  has  been  in 
his  hands.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  they  have  been  the 
52 


UeonarD  ^tatfSnn 


most  successful  tried  in  the  United  States,  and  have  had  a 
marked  influence  in  shaping  legislation  elsewhere.  He  regarded 
the  question  as  one  to  be  handled  largely  by  education,  and 
did  a  giant's  work  in  going  out  among  the  people  of  the  state. 
His  arguments  were  clear  and  irrefutable,  his  manner  in  lay- 
ing them  before  an  audience  impressive  and  earnest,  but  ex- 
ceedingly genial,  so  that  he  never  failed  to  make  friends,  even 
among  those  who  did  not  entirely  accede  at  first  to  his  beliefs. 
The  work  in  Pennsylvania  will  always  stand  as  a  monument  to 
his  foresight  and  ability  in  the  administration  of  important 
public  matters. 

Closely  allied  to  this  were  his  studies  on  immunity,  a  masterly 
piece  of  work  done  in  conjunction  with  Dr.  S.  H.  Gilliland, 
which  attracted  the  keenest  interest  of  the  whole  scientific 
world.  Dr.  Pearson  was  regarded  not  only  as  a  pioneer  in  this 
work,  but  as  one  of  the  great  authorities  on  the  subject. 

In  1904  it  was  my  great  good  fortune  to  take  part  with  him 
in  a  collective  investigation  on  the  subject  of  immunity.  We 
spent  several  months  in  Europe,  he  devoting  himself  almost 
entirely  to  the  animal  side  of  the  question,  while  I  took  up 
the  human  side.  His  report  on  this  subject  was  perhaps  the 
best  piece  of  work  which  he  ever  did,  and  was  masterly  in 
every  detail,  not  only  in  the  collection  and  assembling  of  his 
data,  but  also  in  the  keen  analysis  he  gave  of  the  results.  It 
will  be  many  years  before  this  piece  of  work  needs  revision  or 
has  an  equal  in  the  literature  of  the  subject. 

I  cannot  think  of  this  study  without  referring  to  the  per- 
sonality of  the  man.  Nothing  appeared  to  escape  his  observa- 
tion, and  in  every  phase  of  his  life,  from  the  highest  scientific 
work  to  the  commonplaces  of  everyday  life,  the  human  side 
of  his  character  was  evident.  Hosts  of  friends  greeted  liim  in 
practically  every  place  he  visited.  Even  where  he  had  not  previ- 
ously been  known  personally  his  work  had  gained  recognition 
for  him  and  insured  a  cordial  and  enthusiastic  welcome  from 
men  in  scientific  life.  His  versatility  was  most  evident  during 
53 


3^n  iltemoriam 


travel.  During  one  hour  we  would  be  in  the  company  of  a 
savant,  discussing  the  abstruse  theories  and  questions  of  im- 
munity; the  next  hour  we  would  be  in  some  book  shop,  rum- 
maging piles  of  old  books;  and  soon  after  in  another  establish- 
ment, looking  for  the  latest  publications  on  scientific  matters. 
From  books  we  would  go  to  articles  of  woodwork,  curiosities 
in  metal — in  fact,  every'tliing  seemed  to  hold  an  interest  for 
Dr.  Pearson,  and  on  many  of  these  subjects  he  had  information 
scarcely  to  be  expected  in  a  man  devoted  to  a  single  profession. 
The  evenings  would  be  spent  in  some  public  resort,  where  again 
his  keen  insight  into  human  nature  was  every  minute  shown 
by  his  obsen^ations  on  the  passing  throng.  It  seemed  an  endless 
delight  to  him  to  study  every  phase  of  human  nature.  No 
doubt  this  faculty  and  interest  was  the  secret  of  one  of  his 
most  striking  characteristics,  namely,  his  power  of  gaining  the 
confidence  of  people  and  his  control  of  those  with  whom  he  was 
associated.  He  was  a  student  of  human  nature  and  had  a  re- 
markable faculty  of  judging  men. 

Coupled  with  his  boundless  enthusiasm  and  his  honesty  of 
purpose,  this  insight  into  human  nature  made  him  one  of  the 
most  potent  factors  in  dealing  with  men  indi^ddually  or  with 
bodies  of  men  that  I  have  ever  come  in  contact  with.  No 
doubt  much  of  his  power  in  this  respect  was  due  also  to  his 
transparent  honesty  of  purpose  and  the  absence  always  of  any 
suspicion  of  self-seeking.  The  things  he  worked  for  were 
always  matters  of  enormous  public  necessity,  affecting  intimately 
the  public  welfare.  It  was  evident  to  even  the  most  casual 
observer  that  the  salary  he  drew  as  a  public  officer  was  trifling, 
and  it  was  known  to  everyone  that  he  had  abandoned  a 
private  practice,  which  insured  him  a  very  handsome  income 
and  was  constantly  growing,  to  take  up  public  work.  Much 
of  his  public  work  was  done  without  any  remuneration  what- 
ever, solely  because  it  was  needed  and  was  right.  The  same 
devotion  and  self-sacrifice  were  given  to  work  carrying  no 
remuneration  as  to  his  other  duties.  All  of  this  was  patent 
54 


EeonarD  ^ear^on 


to  everyone  and,  in  giving  money  for  objects  advocated  by 
Dr.  Pearson,  the  legislator  always  had  the  assurance  that  he 
was  putting  public  funds  where  they  would  be  spent  entirely 
for  the  public  good,  and  to  the  greatest  advantage.  Dr.  Pearson 
was  extremely  successful  in  shaping  and  obtaining  legislation 
that  did  not  carry  appropriations.  His  work  in  this  direction 
was  always  for  the  public  good. 

I  could  speak  at  length  on  his  services  to  veterinary  medicine. 
Again,  however,  I  must  yield  to  members  of  that  profession  to 
give  an  account  of  his  achievements.  As  art  outsider,  I  can  say 
with  confidence  that  America  has  produced  no  veterinarian  who 
has  done  as  much  to  elevate  the  teaching  of  veterinary  medicine 
as  Dr.  Pearson.  He  stood  always  for  the  dignity  and  honor  of 
his  profession,  and  by  precept  and  example  led  his  professional 
brethren  to  liigher  standards  than  had  been  before  known  in 
America.  It  is  gratifj-ing  to  note  that  his  profession  recog- 
nized him  as  a  leader,  and  early  in  his  professional  career 
gave  him  the  highest  offices  in  its  gift. 

In  writing  this  brief  appreciation  of  Dr.  Pearson,  I  have 
felt  the  keenest  regret  at  my  inability  adequately  to  'express  his 
real  worth.  His  loss  seems  irreparable.  One's  regret  seems 
to  be  more  keen  when  one  remembers  that  his  early  death 
was  due  to  overwork  and  too  close  devotion  to  the  interests 
which  had  been  placed  in  his  charge.  We  praise  the  individual 
who  saves  another's  life  at  the  risk  of  his  own,  and  medals 
are  given  by  governments  for  such  service.  More  often  we  fail 
entirely  to  recognize  the  quiet,  yet  unceasing  and  untiring  work 
of  a  public  servant,  such  as  Dr.  Pearson  was,  and  we  overlook 
the  fact  that  a  life  may  be  given  in  this  way,  just  as  truly  as 
in  the  case  of  the  man  who  goes  into  a  burning  Ijuilding  to  save 
others,  or  hurls  the  dynamite  bomb  away  from  the  crowd  it 
is  intended  to  destroy.  Laurels  and  rewards  are  given  to  the 
soldier  who  fights  with  the  blare  of  trumpets,  5'et  it  takes  more 
courage  and  more  devotion  to  fight  silently  against.disease  than 
to  go  into  the  carnage  of  battle.  The  work  of  our  friend  has 
55 


STn  i^emoriam 


been  recognized  tlie  world  over  by  scientific  men,  and  we  believe 
that  his  devotion  to  the  public  welfare  of  his  adopted  state  and 
city  will  receive  the  recognition  it  so  well  deserves. 

I  cannot  close  this  imperfect  tribute  to  Dr.  Pearson  without 
a  word  in  regard  to  my  own  feelings,  I  found  him  always 
strong  intellectually  and  personally,  genial  and  kindly,  always 
ready  with  his  interest  and  advice.  Personal  intercourse  was 
always  marked  by  those  endearing  personal  qualities  which  made 
him  hosts  of  friends  wherever  he  was  known.  In  common  with 
many  others,  I  feel  his  loss  as  a  scientific  man,  as  an  investigator, 
as  a  public  servant,  but  I  have  a  deep  sense  of  personal  bereave- 
ment in  knowing  that  the  big-hearted  friend  with  whom  I  was 
so  long  associated  is  no  more.    Peace  to  his  ashes ! 

From  J.  Bertram  Lippixcott,  Trustee  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania : 
As  I  look  back  on  my  association  with  Leonard  Pearson, 
there  comes  to  me  the  sensation  of  wasted  opportunity  on  my 
part,  the  feeling  of  "  why  did  I  not  see  more  of  him  ?  "  Our 
friendship  dates  back  to  the  time  when  he  became  house  sur- 
geon of  the  veterinary  hospital.  University  of  Pennsylvania. 
As  a  manager  of  that  hospital,  I  was  in  the  habit  of  going  for 
information  in  regard  to  cases  to  the  house  surgeon,  who  had 
it  in  his  power  to  make  my  visits  there  interesting  or  not, 
according  to  his  willingness  to  explain  the  cause  of  suffering 
of  the  various  patients.  Dr.  Pearson  made  these  visits  very 
pleasant,  causing  me  to  visit  the  institution  very  frequently. 
At  that  time  I  recognized  in  him  the  coming  man  of  the 
department,  if  not  of  veterinary  science,  but  I  had  no  idea  he 
would  become  a  factor  so  soon.  I  feared  he  would  not  adhere 
to  the  care  of  animals,  but  would  branch  off  into  some  other 
profession.  On  his  return  from  his  first  sojourn  abroad,  how- 
ever, when  he  was  made  assistant  professor  of  medicine,  and 
afterward  full  professor,  it  was  clear  that  he  intended  to  devote 
his  life  to  the  veterinary  profession,  and  that  he  would  be  a 
credit  to  it,  as  well  as  make  it  a  credit  to  the  sciences. 
56 


Heonarti  ^ear^on 


His  great  interest  in  the  study  of  tuberculosis  and  the  result 
of  his  eiforts  in  regard  to  that  disease  soon  classed  him  among 
scientists.  WTien  he  became  dean  of  the  veterinary  depart- 
ment, he  was  made  a  manager  of  the  hospital,  and  came  more 
in  contact  with  members  of  the  board.  I  think  it  was  about 
this  time  that  Joseph  E.  Gillingham,  recognizing  in  Dr.  Pearson 
a  man  competent  and  superior  in  his  vocation,  decided  to  be- 
queath to  the  veterinary  department  fifty  thousand  dollars  under 
certain  conditions,  one  of  them  being  that  Dr.  Pearson  should 
be  connected  with  the  department  at  the  time. 

When  the  veterinary  department  moved  from  its  first  quarters. 
Thirty-fourth  and  Spruce,  to  Woodland  Avenue,  the  magnetism, 
force  and  loyalty  of  Dr.  Pearson  were  put  to  a  hard  test.  The 
conditions  there  for  accommodations  were  so  crude  that  it 
required  an  able  man  to  hold  the  teaching  force  together  and 
keep  the  student  body  from  disbanding.  Dr.  Pearson  not  only 
did  this,  but  at  the  same  time  succeeded  in  persuading  the 
legislature  to  make  appropriations  with  which  the  university 
was  able  to  construct  and  equip  the  present  buildings.  These 
buildings  are  practically  a  monument  to  Dr.  Pearson,  the  result 
of  weeks  of  argument  and  persuasion  with  members  of  the  state 
legislature.  A  friend  of  mine  who  had  been  to  Harrisburg  at 
that  time  said  to  me,  while  discussing  appropriations,  "  It  was 
the  personality  of  your  man  Pearson  that  got  the  university 
that  money."  He  had  the  quality  of  inspiring  confidence.  His 
manner  of  meeting  men  was  affable  and  pleasing  to  all. 

With  the  new  veterinary  buildings  came  additional  cares.  As 
state  veterinarian  much  of  his  time  was  taken  from  the  uni- 
versity. Yet  he  stuck  to  it  in  spite  of  a  brilliant  offer  from 
Washington  to  become  director  of  agriculture.  Nevertheless, 
the  combined  cares  wore  on  him,  and  it  became  clear  that  he 
needed  the  rest  which  he  refused  to  take. 

At  the  April  meeting,  1909,  of  the  board  of  managers  he 

turned   over  his  appeal  for  complete  radical   changes  in  the 

veterinary  hospital  and  veterinary  department.     It  was  one  of 

the  ablest  letters  I  ever  read.     As  a  supplement  to  tJiis  he  had 

57 


S'n  i^emoriam 


plans  for  the  reorganization  and  strengthening  of  the  depart- 
ment, making  it  equal  to  any  in  the  world.  One  set  of  these 
plans,  which  were  given  to  certain  members  of  his  faculty  for 
criticism  and  suggestion,  fell  into  my  hands. 

Shortly  after  that  came  the  blow  which  forced  him  to  drop 
everything  and  rest  for  his  life.  But  his  plans  were  clear  and 
plain  and  could  be  carried  out.  I  think  he  intended  they 
should  be  accomplished  by  his  successors,  for  they  covered  all 
details,  costs  and  receipts,  almost  to  a  dollar. 

While  discussing  these  plans  with  Dr.  John  Marshall  one  day 
last  fall,  the  message  came  to  me  that  Dr.  Pearson  had  died 
that  morning.  It  was  a  terrible  shock,  for,  although  I  had 
counted  upon  his  not  taldng  an  active  part  in  his  plans,  his 
death  was  wholly  unlocked  for.  Wanted  by  his  university,  his 
state  and  his  country,  the  tax  was  too  much  for  him.  He  who 
finally  secured  him  no  one  can  outbid.  Through  the  ability  of 
this  man  veterinary  science  had  been  raised  to  a  much  higher 
plane,  and  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  had  suitable  buildings 
in  which  to  teach  it.  I  often  think  that  Dr.  Pearson  died, 
like  Wolfe  and  N"elson,  after  the  victory  had  been  won. 

From  Samuel  McClintock  Hamill,  M.D.,  Secretary  of  the 
Milk  Commission  of  the  Pediatric  Society: 

I  esteem  it  a  very  great  privilege  to  be  able  to  contribute 
a  few  words  to  a  memorial  volume  to  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson. 

It  was  my  good  fortune  to  know  Dr.  Pearson  intimately  for 
a  number  of  years — a  privilege  I  shall  always  appreciate  deeply, 
for,  from  him,  more  than  from  almost  any  man  I  have  kno^vn,  I 
learned  the  value  of  true  living. 

First  and  foremost,  I  found  him  a  man  of  high  ideals  and 
sterling  integrity.  His  judgment  of  men  impressed  me  as 
remarkable.  However  much  of  evil  there  was  in  men,  he  always 
found  something  of  good  in  them,  and  that  something  he 
often  made  useful  to  his  fellow-men.  Because  of  his  honesty 
men  trusted  him,  and  instinctively  revealed  to  him  the  better 
58 


Heonarb  ^ear^on 


side  of  tlieir  natures.  In  the  trj'ing  position  which  he  occupied 
in  life — endeavoring  to  direct  politics  toward  the  uplifting  of 
mankind — ^this  quality  in  him  was  invaluable.  It  enabled  him 
to  accomplish  things  single-handed  which  few  men,  perhaps  no 
other  man,  could  have  accomplished.  He  dealt  with  a  class 
of  men  who  through  training  and  environment — and  some  per- 
haps by  instinct — viewed  men's  motives  with  suspicion.  Many 
of  them  were  antagonistic  to  each  other  and  jealous  of  each 
other's  prestige;  and  yet,  from  these  warring  factions  and 
difficult  types  he  secured  enthusiastic  and  helpful  support  with- 
out ever  for  a  moment  departing  from  his  rigid  ideas  of  honesty. 
In  truth,  it  was  this  yerj  honesty,  coupled  with  his  keen 
appreciation  of  men,  that  enabled  him  to  accomplish  his  results. 

He  had  indomitable  energy  and  limitless  perseverance.  I 
very  well  recall  a  remark  he  one  time  made  to  me  regarding 
the  third  legislative  defeat  of  one  of  his  pet  measures :  "  It  is 
somewhat  discouraging,  but  we  will  accomplish  what  we  want 
in  the  end.  These  men  will  be  educated  gradually  to  the  value 
and  justice  of  the  cause."    And  they  were. 

I  frequently  sought  Dr.  Pearson's  advice  in  matters  pertain- 
ing to  the  policy  of  the  milk  commission  of  the  Philadelphia 
Pediatric  Societ}^,  and  I  never  failed  to  secure  wise  judgment, 
based  always  upon  the  effect  that  such  policies  might  have 
upon  the  commission,  the  producer,  and  the  general  public.  His 
opinions  in  all  matters  seemed  to  me  to  be  based  upon  the  broad 
foundation  of  justice  to  all  men. 

His  big,  honest  face,  his  gracious  manner,  his  charming 
personality,  his  keen  sense  of  justice,  his  broad  viewpoint,  his 
energy,  his  perseverance,  his  charity,  and  his  cheerful,  hopeful 
disposition  marked  him  "  a  man  among  men."  Those  who  knew 
him  well,  knew  him  but  to  love  him.  For  all  of  us  his  memory 
is  a  stimulus  and  a  benediction.  His  death  is  a  loss  to  science 
and  a  blow  to  the  uplifting  of  mankind.  A  few  men  of  his 
t}^e  could  leaven  the  world. 


3n  ;|W:ntionam 


From  E.  S.  Bayaed,  Editor  of  The  National  Stocknmn  and 
Farmer : 

From  his  friends  Leonard  Pearson  deserves  words  in 
memoriam  equal  to  those  of  Tennyson.  None  of  us  can  pay 
him  a  tribute  worthy  of  him  save  in  one  respect — sincerity. 
But,  after  all,  sincerity  is  the  best  part  of  anything  we  say  of 
our  departed  friends.  No  matter  how  inadequate  our  words 
may  be — and  we  know  they  are  inadequate  here — they  have  the 
superlative  merit  of  sincerity.  I  know  that  in  all  this  book 
there  is  not  one  perfunctory  word.  I  know  it  because  I  knew 
Leonard  Pearson — and  his  friends  are  writing  about  him. 

Memory  fails  to  record  the  date  of  my  first  acquaintance  with 
Leonard  Pearson.  But  soon  I  felt  that  I  had  always  known 
him,  would  always  know  him  to  admire,  respect  and  trust  him. 
Longer  and  more  intimate  acquaintance  with  him  meant  merely 
increasing  admiration  for  his  talents,  respect  for  his  character 
and  faith  in  his  friendship.  It  takes  a  man  to  win  for  him- 
self the  respect  and  loyalty  and  love  of  those  who  know  him 
best  and  longest,  and  he  was  a  man  in  all  things,  everywhere. 
Like  all  true  men  he  had  difficulties  to  overcome,  he  met  op- 
position and  perhaps  made  enemies.  His  troubles  he  met 
bravely.  His  eminent  honesty  and  fairness  left  little  room  for 
bitter  or  long-continued  opposition.  And  the  enemies  of  such 
a  man  merely  serve  to  increase  the  confidence  of  right-minded 
people  in  him. 

It  is  useless  to  attempt  to  record  here  his  virtues.  They  are 
known  to  all  who  read  this.  But  those  who  knew  him  best  can 
never  forget  the  ability  and  faithfulness  with  which  he  carried 
forward  his  great  work;  the  patience  and  kindness  which  he 
showed  to  all  men  on  all  occasions;  the  rare  social  hours  en- 
riched by  the  sparkle  of  his  hmnor;  and  the  quiet  times,  when 
to  his  intimate  friends  he  revealed  more  and  more  of  the 
qualities  that  endeared  him  to  them. 

This  memorial,  however,  calls  for  more  than  a  personal 
tribute.  Leonard  Pearson's  work  for  the  farmers  and  stockmen 
of  Pennsylvania  and  the  world  cannot  be  fully  appreciated  be- 


Heonarti  ^^ear^on 


cause  it  is  not  yet  complete.  He  gained  their  confidence  and  held 
it  when  radical  men  had  shaken  their  faith  in  veterinary  officials. 
He  was  always  fair,  he  never  lost  Ms  balance,  he  oppressed 
none,  but  helped  many.  To-day  Pennsylvania  stands  at  the 
front  in  its  record  of  progress  in  the  eradication  of  diseases 
of  domestic  animals,  and  he  did  it.  He  imparted  the  true  con- 
ception of  the  importance  of  animal  health.  He  dignified  his 
profession  by  revealing  to  the  world  what  veterinary  science 
means  to  humanity  in  the  preservation  of  the  health  of  domestic 
animals.  His  investigations  were  long;  his  conclusions 
announced  only  when  he  felt  sure  they  were  right.  He  was  a 
great  investigator,  but  he  never  tried  to  acquire  fame  pre- 
maturely or  at  the  expense  of  the  truth.  For  some  years  his 
work  on  vaccination  to  prevent  bovine  tuberculosis  has  attracted 
much  attention;  but  he  never  mentioned  it  as  complete,  always 
as  an  experiment,  with  a  possibility  of  the  verdict  "  not  proven  " 
awaiting  it.  He  was  a  true  scientist  as  well  as  a  true  man. 
The  work  he  did  for  Penns3'lvania  was  done,  as  all  his  friends 
knew,  at  a  great  financial  sacrifice.  He  was  repeatedly  offered 
positions  which  carried  with  them  much  more  salary  than  he 
had  here;  yet  his  heart  was  in  his  work  here  and  he  never 
considered  for  a  moment  the  greater  financial  attractions  else- 
where. 

Who  can  estimate  the  worth  of  his  study  to  provide  immunity 
against  bovine  tuberculosis?  Who  can  reckon  what  he  saved 
this  country  by  his  prompt  identification  and  eradication  of  foot- 
and-mouth  disease?  Who  knows  what  distress  his  sane  yet 
efficient  work  has  spared  the  stockmen  of  his  state?  What 
prophet  can  reveal  the  outcome  of  his  teaching  in  the  schools 
and  on  the  platform?  There  are  no  words  or  figures  or  com- 
parisons whereby  we  may  estimate  such  things.  They  belong 
to  that  greater  book  in  which  all  true  services  for  humanity 
are  recorded.  But  we  do  know  that  the  interests  to  which 
Leonard  Pearson  devoted  his  life  have  suffered  an  irreparable 
loss,  and  that  his  works  live  after  him  as  the  best  memorial 
of  his  life  among  us. 

61 


3Pn  ;|Wemoriam 


From  A.  C.  Abbott,  M.D.,  Sc.D.,  Professor  of  Hygiene  and 
Bacteriology,  University  of  Pennsylvania: 

In  the  death  of  Leonard  Pearson  preventive  medicine  ex- 
perienced a  loss  from  which  it  will  be  difficult  to  recover. 
Though  trained  in  the  school  of  veterinary  medicine  and  un- 
tiring in  his  activities  for  the  uplifting  of  his  profession, 
Pearson's  work  and  that  of  his  assistants  and  pupils  bore 
evidence  of  his  keen  appreciation  of  the  close  interdependence 
between  the  health  of  man  and  that  of  the  animals  on  which 
he  depends  for  food,  energy  and  companionship.  A  thorough 
training,  a  rare  degree  of  natural  intelligence,  a  striking  clarity 
of  perception  and  an  enthusiastic  interest  in  the  manifold  ad- 
vances of  modern  biological  science  gave  to  him  an  unusually 
broad  mental  horizon. 

Fixed  in  the  belief  that  the  scientific  study  of  animals  in 
health  and  disease  promised  results  of  fundamental  importance 
to  the  correct  interpretation  of  physiological  and  pathological 
phenomena  peculiar  to  man,  his  work  and  that  of  the  school 
with  which  he  was  so  honorably  identified  was  in  large  measure 
projected  along  those  lines.  It  is  mainly  through  his  efforts 
that  the  modem  school  of  veterinary  medicine  has  become  so 
important  a  factor  in  the  great  biological  problem  of  medicine 
as  a  whole. 

To  the  casual  observer,  an  easy-going,  mild-mannered,  some- 
what reticent  man,  Pearson  had  an  amazing  capacity  for  work, 
and  always  for  work  that  told.  In  the  dual  capacity  of  dean 
of  the  veterinary  school  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  and 
of  veterinarian  of  the  commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania,  he  not 
only  performed  his  manifold  duties  with  signal  credit  to  himself 
and  full  satisfaction  both  to  his  alma  mater  and  to  the  state, 
but  found  time  to  direct  uninterrupted  researches  that  early 
gave  to  the  organizations  with  which  he  was  identified  impor- 
tant places  in  the  ranks  of  contributors  to  the  literature  of 
preventive  medicine. 

His  sterling  honesty  and  frank  manner  endeared  him  to  all 
62 


Hetinarti  ^ear^on 


with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  and  it  was  probably  to  these 
qualities  as  much  as  to  his  acknowledged  abilities  that  he  owed 
the  full  confidence  and  respect  of  the  several  administrations 
under  which  he  held  office  as  state  veterinarian,  and  through 
which  he  was  enabled  so  to  organize  the  sanitary  control  of 
food-producing  animals  in  this  state  that  the  Live  Stock 
Sanitary  Board,  of  which  he  was  the  executive  officer,  became 
recognized  as  a  model  throughout  the  coimtry.  It  was  through 
his  efforts  that  state  appropriations  were  secured  for  the  pur- 
chase and  maintenance  of  a  farm,  the  equipment  of  a  laboratory 
and  the  emplojonent  of  assistants  for  the  exclusive  study  of 
bovine  tuberculosis  and  the  possible  means  for  its  prevention. 
Time  has  shown  this  outlay  to  have  been  fully  justified,  for 
from  no  source,  here  or  abroad,  have  contributions  been  made 
that  are  of  greater  importance  to  the  subject  than  those  result- 
ing from  Pearson's  clear  conception  of  the  requirements  of 
the  problem. 

As  dean  of  the  veterinary  school  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, he  stood  always  for  the  highest  ideals,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  he  was  actively  engaged  in  a  plan  of  re- 
organization which,  if  consmnmated,  will  not  only  reflect  credit 
upon  its  author,  but  result  in  placing  the  school  on  a  higher 
plane  of  efficiency  than  even  that  hitherto  enjoyed  by  it. 

When  in  1903  the  Department  of  Public  Health  and  Charities 
of  Philadelphia  was  created,  Pearson  was  immediately  chosen 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  health,  and,  notwithstanding  the 
many  other  demands  made  upon  his  time  and  energy,  he  was  con- 
spicuously active  in  the  organization  of  a  bureau  to  which  the 
city  may  point  with  some  degree  of  honest  pride. 

As  a  public  speaker  Pearson  never  lacked  an  appreciative 
audience.  His  remarkable  grasp  of  any  subject  on  which  he 
engaged  to  speak  was  a  topic  of  general  comment.  He  was  a 
clear  thinker,  possessing  the  happy  faculty  of  going  straight 
to  the  heart  of  his  subject,  and  of  putting  whatever  he  had  to 
say  in  direct,  forceful  and  simple,  yet  correct,  English,  This, 
63 


S'n  i^emoriam 


combined  with  his  evident  honesty  of  purpose,  made  of  him 
one  of  our  most  effective  factors  in  the  educational  campaign 
for  preventive  medicine. 

As  a  companion,  as  a  man,  little  need  be  said.  To  know 
him  was  to  love  him.  Loyal  to  liis  friends,  faithful  to  his 
trusts,  and  ever  ready  to  help  the  unfortunate,  there  is  little 
wonder  that  his  enemies  were  few.  The  breach  made  by  his 
death  will  not  be  readily  filled. 

From  Duncan  McEachran,  LL.D.,  F.R.C.V.S.,  V.S.,  Edin- 
burgh, D.V.S.,  Emeritus  Professor  and  Dean,  McGill 
University : 

Yery  few  except  those  who  have  been  engaged  in  the  struggle 
to  raise  the  profession  of  veterinary  medicine  from  an  art  to  a 
science  can  realize  the  amount  of  never-ceasing,  self-denying 
labor  devolving  on  men  like  Dr.  Pearson. 

As  I  knew  him  he  was  a  man  of  high  ideals  and  a  devoted 
student  who  aimed  to  place  veterinary  science  on  a  par  with 
the  other  liberal  professions.  His  scientific  attainments  were 
of  the  most  advanced  order,  and  he  is  one  of  the  few  veter- 
inarians whose  works  will  live  after  him.  Others,  who  had 
the  advantage  of  a  longer  and  more  intimate  association  with 
him,  will  no  doubt  record  his  invaluable  services  as  a  teacher 
and  investigator,  and  point  out  the  incalculable  loss  comparative 
medicine  in  Nortli  America  has  sustained  by  his  early  decease. 
His  work  on  tuberculosis  alone  places  him  in  the  front  rank 
of  investigators  on  this  all-important  subject  of  comparative 
medicine,  and  his  writings  on  this  disease  will  take  a  place  in 
the  classic  literature  of  the  future. 

In  the  position  of  state  veterinarian  he  was,  in  all  he  did, 
thoroughly  painstaking  and  sincere,  correct  in  his  decisions  and 
eminently  successful  in  his  results.  The  l>enefits  of  his  work  in 
this  one  department  of  his  labor  to  his  state  and  country  cannot 
be  estimated  by  any  financial  calculation. 

As  one  of  my  colleagues  in  prosecuting  the  scientific  investiga- 
64 


Hconarb  ^ear^on 


tions  in  connection  with  the  now  historical  ''  Smelter  Smoke 
Case''  (the  Farmers  of  Deer  Lodge  County  vs.  the  Anaconda 
Mining  and  Smelter  Company,  Montana,  1905,  G,  7  and  8),  he 
rendered  valuable  service  by  his  thorough  methods  of  investiga- 
tion, correctness  of  deduction,  honesty  of  purpose,  and  clear- 
ness of  testimony  on  the  witness  stand. 

Dr.  Pearson's  life  and  work  should  long  be  cherished  and 
held  forth  as  an  example  worthy  of  emulation  by  every  member 
of  the  profession  to  which  he  devoted  his  life. 

From  Daniel  E.  Salmon,  Director  Veterinary  Department, 
University  of  Montevideo: 

In  offering  a  tribute  to  the  memory  of  Leonard  Pearson, 
the  writer  could  not  pretend  to  do  justice  to  his  character  nor 
to  his  work,  even  if  he  devoted  much  more  time  and  space  to 
the  effort  than  is  possible  on  this  occasion;  but,  fortunately, 
both  are  so  well  known  that  it  is  not  necessary  for  him  to  do 
more  than  briefly  record  those  personal  impressions  which  come 
most  vividly  before  his  mind  as  he  thinks  of  the  friend  whose 
genial  countenance  will  no  longer  inspire  and  whose  sympathetic 
voice  is  forever  hushed. 

When  I  last  saw  Dr.  Pearson  he  was  apparently  in  perfect 
health — a  model  of  strength  and  mental  power;  and  when  the 
unexpected  tidings  of  his  death  reached  me,  I  was  overcome 
with  the  feeling  that  his  death  was  untimely,  that  his  life  work 
was  far  from  completed  and  that,  with  the  facilities  which  he 
had  recently  acquired,  he  would  have  been  able  to  use  his  great 
talents  much  more  effectively  than  ever  before  for  the  solution 
of  those  problems  in  which  he  was  so  deeply  interested.  With 
his  experience,  his  influence,  his  opportunities,  how  much  he 
could  have  accomplished  for  his  profession,  his  state,  his  coun- 
try- and  for  humanity,  if  it  had  been  permitted  him  to  live  the 
full  measure  of  man's  career  on  earth ! 

Later,  there  came  the  more  comforting  thought  that  it  is  a 
higher  power  and  a  greater  wisdom  than  ours  which  measures 
5  65 


3Fn  jHemoriam 


the  years  of  our  friends  and  decides  when  they  have  accom- 
plished their  earthly  tasks.  In  this  case,  while  at  first  we 
think  of  the  career  interrupted  in  the  prime  of  life,  of  the 
problems  on  the  eve  of  solution,  on  further  consideration  we 
cannot  but  be  impressed  with  the  niunber  and  importance  of 
the  things  which  were  actually  achieved  and  with  the  effect  of 
his  influence  in  shaping  public  thought  and  policy,  not  only 
in  his  own  state,  but  throughout  the  whole  country, 

A  man  of  high  ambition,  of  great  enthusiasm,  he  had  hesi- 
tated neither  because  of  the  labor  nor  the  responsibility  in- 
volved in  the  tasks  which  presented  themselves  to  him,  and  he 
had  condensed  within  a  comparatively  few  years  a  work  and 
an  achievement  which  would  have  been  remarkable,  even  if  it 
had  occupied  all  the  period  of  a  long  life.  If  the  labor  had 
been  less  intense  and  the  effort  extended  over  a  greater  number 
of  years,  who  can  say  that  more  would  have  been  accomplished, 
or  that  the  total  would  have  been  so  great? 

Whether  under  different  circumstances  he  would  have  accom- 
plished more  or  less,  it  is,  then,  idle  for  us  to  speculate.  What 
we  know  is  that  his  ideals  were  of  the  highest,  his  enthusiasm 
unbounded  and  his  labor  incessant.  Now  that  his  task  is 
completed,  some  idea  can  be  formed  of  the  results  of  these 
labors,  but  it  is  too  soon  to  appreciate  his  career  in  all  of  its 
magnitude  and  importance. 

I  became  acquainted  with  Dr.  Pearson  during  the  eventful 
days  of  1887,  when  the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry  was  en- 
gaged in  a  desperate  struggle  for  the  eradication  of  the  con- 
tagious pleuropneumonia  of  cattle  from  the  city  of  Chicago 
and  its  suburbs,  a  task  which  required  not  only  all  of  its 
resources  but  a  great  deal  of  patience  and  diplomacy  as  well. 
The  state  authorities  at  the  beginning  of  this  work  had  assumed 
a  position  of  hostility  from  which  they  had  not  yet  entirely 
recovered,  and  this  greatly  increased  the  difficulties  and  re- 
sponsibilities of  those  in  charge  of  the  operations  conducted 
under  the  authority  of  the  federal  government.  It  was  neces- 
66 


Heonarti  ^ear^on 


sary  that  every  move  should  be  carefully  made  and  that  the 
office  records  should  show  a  full  history  of  every  transaction. 
At  this  time  Dr.  Pearson  was  taking  his  course  at  Cornell,  but 
he  temporarily  accepted  a  position  in  Chicago,  and  remained 
there  a  sufficient  time  to  study  the  practical  work  of  eradication 
of  this  redoubtable  disease,  and  during  this  time  rendered 
important  assistance  in  the  office  work.  Although  he  was  then 
but  nineteen  years  of  age,  I  was  much  impressed  by  his  earnest- 
ness, the  carefulness  with  which  his  work  was  done  and  his 
grasp  of  the  many  details  as  to  the  inspections,  the  quarantine, 
the  disposition  of  infected  cattle  and  the  relations  with  the  local 
authorities. 

Our  next  meeting  occurred  in  "Washington,  soon  after  his 
graduation  from  the  veterinary  department  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  in  1890.  Having  always  received  the  most 
favorable  reports  of  his  work  while  a  student  at  Cornell  and 
at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  I  now  offered  him  a  position 
in  the  laboratory  of  the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry,  and,  as  a 
special  inducement  to  accept  it,  presented  the  prospect  that  he 
might  soon  become  my  principal  assistant.  He  decided,  how- 
ever, to  cast  his  lot  with  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
he  soon  after  departed  for  Europe  to  complete  his  studies  in 
the  great  schools  of  Germany. 

Again,  I  saw  him  for  a  few  days  at  the  International  Con- 
gress of  Hygiene  and  Demography  at  London,  in  1891,  when 
he  was  about  to  return  to  the  United  States  to  take  up  the 
active  duties  of  his  profession.  At  this  time  he  gave  an  im- 
pression of  the  most  thorough  preparation,  of  a  wonderful 
grasp  of  all  the  fields  of  veterinary  knowledge,  and  of  a  quiet 
self-reliance  which  enabled  his  friends  to  safely  predict  an 
exceptionally  useful  and  brilliant  career. 

Of  the  manner  in  which  he  fulfilled  these  early  promises, 
and  more  than  fulfilled  them,  I  shall  only  write  in  the  briefest 
terms.     His  devotion  to  the  veterinary  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania  is  shown  by  the  years  of  labor  which 
67 


3^n  ittnnoriam 


he  gave  to  it  under  discouragiug  circumstances,  wlien  the  sup- 
port which  he  received  was  most  inadequate,  and  when  appar- 
ently his  efforts  brought  little  appreciation.  But  this  devotion 
in  the  end  led  to  magnificent  results.  Resources  were  found, 
and  aggregated  and  utilized,  and  the  veterinary  school  was 
provided  with  a  building  and  other  facilities  which  are  not 
onl}'  a  monument  to  his  wide  learning  and  skill,  but  which 
should  be  a  source  of  pride  to  his  university,  his  city  and  his 
state. 

If  the  success  of  this  school  had  been  his  only  achievement,  it 
would  nevertheless  have  been  notable  and  worthy  of  the  greatest 
admiration;  but  in  his  work  as  state  veterinarian  he  also 
and  at  the  same  time  accomplished  results  which,  while  per- 
haps less  conspicuous  to  the  world  at  large,  were  no  less  remark- 
able and  valuable  to  the  state  and,  as  an  object-lesson,  to  the 
country.  In  other  states  the  work  for  the  repression  of  cattle 
tuberculosis  had  been  tried,  had  excited  widespread  opposition 
and  violent  hostility,  and  had  failed.  It  seemed  that  notwith- 
standing the  advantage  in  accurate  diagnosis  which  had  been 
furnished  in  the  discovery  of  tuberculin,  notwithstanding  the 
willing-ness  of  the  states  to  expend  large  sums  of  money  for  the 
discovery  and  proper  disposition  of  diseased  animals,  nothing 
of  practical  value  could  be  done,  because  no  one  was  able  to 
conduct  this  work  efficiently  and  at  the  same  time  retain  the 
respect  and  support  of  the  dairy  interests.  This  seemingly 
impossible  task  Dr.  Pearson  accomplished,  and  for  years  the 
work  of  repression  went  on  actively  under  his  direction.  Not 
only  was  his  intervention  in  tuberculous  herds  permitted,  but 
it  was  eagerly  sought  for  as  the  most  desiral)le  culmination  for 
the  owner  as  well  as  for  the  state. 

As  to  Dr.  Pearson's  work  in  veterinary  associations,  sanitary 
organizations  and  live  stock  conventions,  I  have  had  many 
opportunities  for  ol)servation,  and  have  always  had  occasion  to 
admire  the  confidence  and  dignity  of  his  manner,  as  well  as 
the  ability,  clearness  and  comprehensiveness  with  which  he 
68 


Stconatti  ^eariSfon 


treated  his  subjects,  botli  in  his  fonnal  addresses  and  papers 
and  in  extemporaneous  remarks.  He  was  notably  successful 
in  securing  the  attention,  the  sympathy  and  the  confidence  of 
his  audience.  In  all  of  these  organizations  he  was  a  natural 
leader,  both  in  thought  and  in  action. 

In  addition  to  all  of  this'  work,  we  know  that  Dr.  Pearson 
also  found  time  to  contribute  to  our  stock  of  scientific  knowledge 
by  obseiTations  and  experimental  investigations  of  great  im- 
portance. Of  the  thought  which  he  gave  to  these  experiments 
and  the  care  with  which  they  were  planned  and  carried  out, 
none  but  his  most  intimate  friends  can  tell.  The  world  knows 
only  the  general  results,  but  it  does  not  know  of  the  hours  of 
study  and  anxious  care  which  were  required  to  make  these  results 
possible.  On  various  occasions  the  writer  discussed  the  details 
of  these  experiments  with  Dr.  Pearson,  and,  therefore,  knows 
something  of  what  he  hoped  to  accomplish  by  their  continuation ; 
but,  at  this  time,  it  is  only  possible  to  express  admiration  for 
the  methods  and  surprise  that  one  already  overburdened  with 
administrative  duties  could  devote  so  much  time  and  mental 
activity  to  original  scientific  investigations. 

There  was  one  service  which  Dr.  Pearson  rendered  to  his 
country  which  is  fixed  in  my  mind  with  especial  clearness. 
When,  in  the  autumn  of  1902,  word  came  to  us  at  Washington 
that  foot-and-mouth  disease  existed  in  New  England,  that  the 
contagion  was  already  widely  disseminated  and  that  the  whole 
country  was  threatened,  and  when  it  was  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance to  have  quick  and  accurate  information  as  to  the 
actual  facts,  he  was  one  of  the  two  men  to  whom  this  responsible 
task  was  confided.  That  the  diagnosis  was  speedy  and  accurate, 
and  that  owing  to  this  it  was  possible  to  avert  the  danger,  are 
matters  of  history  which  do  not  call  for  elaboration. 

Dr.  Pearson  appeared  upon  the  scene  as  a  veterinarian  at  a 
time  when  his  services  were  greatly  needed.  Not  only  were 
there  the  local  problems  to  which  allusion  has  been  made,  but 
in  the  development  of  veterinary  ideas  and  veterinary  service 


9^n  Jllemoriam 


in  the  country  at  large  there  was  a  great  field,  the  cultivation 
of  which  had  already  been  delayed  too  long  and  for  which  the 
laborers  were  all  too  few.  He  entered  this  field  with  zeal  and 
enthusiasm,  and,  coming  with  a  thorough  training  and  imbued 
with  the  most  advanced  ideas,  he  was  at  once  recognized  as  a 
leader,  and  was  for  years  one  of  the  most  influential,  active  and 
useful  members  of  his  profession.  The  tasks  which  he  accepted 
for  himself,  especially  the  reconstruction  of  the  veterinary  school 
and  the  organization  of  the  veterinary  sanitary  service  of  the 
state,  did  not  admit  of  easy  or  procrastinating  methods;  it 
was  necessary  to  work  at  them  intensely  and  constantly,  year 
after  year,  or  to  fail.  He  would  not  admit  failure  and  he  put 
aside  discouragement,  working  with  all  his  energy  until  he 
compelled  success. 

In  thus  striving,  in  ignoring  the  rebuffs  and  discouragements 
which  he  so  often  encountered  as  but  the  inevitable  incidents 
that  must  be  philosophically  accepted,  and  throwing  his  whole 
strength  and  energy  into  his  efforts  for  the  advancement  of  his 
profession,  he  remained  true  to  his  early  ideals  and  to  his 
original  plan  for  their  development.  He  had  evidently  de- 
termined that  nothing  should  deter  him  from  the  accomplish- 
ment of  those  great  purposes  which  he  had  in  view  from  the 
beginning  of  his  professional  career,  and  that  there  might  be 
no  failure  in  the  realization  of  these  purposes,  he  gave  to  them 
his  whole  time,  his  whole  strength,  his  health  and  his  life. 
And,  while  we  mourn  his  early  death  and  are  overcome  with 
sorrow  at  the  thought  that  we  shall  forever  miss  the  inspiration 
of  his  presence  and  his  wise  counsels,  let  us  rejoice  that  he 
accomplished  so  much,  that  he  was  able  to  put  his  ideas  on  so 
many  subjects  into  concrete  form,  and  that  his  influence  will 
endure  for  many  years. 

From  Samuel  A.  Pennypacker,  Ex-Governor  of  Pennsylvania : 
The  acquirements  and  services  of  Dr.  Pearson,  of  very  great 
benefit  to  the  commonwealth   of   Pennsylvania,   extended   her 
70 


Eeonarti  ^^ear^on 


reputation  along  certain  lines  of  research  and  of  practical  work, 
not  only  among  other  states  of  the  American  Union,  but  over 
the  world.  In  connection  with  the  executive  departments  of 
the  state,  he  held  three  responsible  positions  requiring  capacity, 
learning  of  a  special  character,  and  that  kind  of  tact  for  want 
of  which  the  efforts  of  able  men  so  often  fail  to  accomplish 
results.  In  all  three  of  them  Dr.  Pearson  was  eminently  suc- 
cessful. Originally  appointed  state  veterinarian  by  Governor 
Daniel  H.  Hastings,  January  2,  1896,  he  was  reappointed  for 
three  terms  of  four  years  each  by  three  successive  governors, 
and  continued  in  that  office  until  his  death.  At  the  time  of 
the  organization  of  the  State  Live  Stock  Sanitary  Board,  in 
1896,  he  became  its  secretary  and  executive  officer.  The  Depart- 
ment of  Health  of  Pennsylvania,  organized  in  1905,  has  been 
recognized  by  the  national  government  and  by  other  states  as 
probably  the  most  efficient  in  the  countrj^  and  certainly  as 
unsurpassed  by  any  other  in  what  it  has  accomplished.  Its 
system  of  securing  vital  statistics  is  almost  perfect.  From  the 
beginning  Dr.  Pearson  was  one  of  its  advisory  board,  where  his 
practical  experience  was  of  valuable  assistance. 

In  the  effort  to  suppress  tuberculosis  in  cattle,  some  states 
made  the  application  of  the  tuberculin  test  compulsory.  The 
enforcement  of  such  a  law  aroused  much  opposition  from  the 
resident  farmers,  and  in  some  instances  led  to  the  repeal  of 
the  law.  Dr.  Pearson  formulated  a  plan  of  cooperation  between 
the  farmers  and  the  state  which,  designated  as  the  Pennsylvania 
method,  has  been  accepted  and  followed  in  many  other  states. 
Experience  has  shown  that  under  this  plan  more  tuberculin  than 
the  state  can  supply  has  been  demanded.  By  the  Act  of  May  15, 
1903,  the  state  appropriated  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  "for 
the  purpose  of  conducting  investigations  concerning  the  causes, 
nature,  treatment  and  prevention  of  the  diseases  of  the  domestic 
animals  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania,  and  especially 
for  the  investigation  of  tuberculosis  of  cattle." 

An  experimental  farm  and  laboratory  were  established  in 
71 


3Fn  JKcmoriam 


Delaware  Count}-,  a  herd  of  cattle  was  i^urchased  and  Dr. 
Pearson  tliere  conducted  investigations  under  the  most  favorable 
conditions,  resulting  in  great  practical  advantages.  He  dis- 
covered a  method  of  preventing  tuberculosis  among  cattle  by 
a  system  similar  to  vaccination.  He  discovered  the  presence 
in  the  United  States  of  bacterial  dysentery  of  cattle,  a  disease 
known  in  Europe,  but  unknown  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic 
until  found  among  cattle  in  Pennsylvania.  He  established  a 
state  service  for  the  inspection  of  meats  which  has  done  much 
to  prevent  the  sale  of  diseased  food  supplies.  In  1905  he  was 
offered  the  position  of  Chief  of  Animal  Industry  of  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture,  but,  after  consultation  with 
the  governor  then  in  office,  he  declined  to  abandon  his  work  in 
Pennsylvania,  where  ample  facilities  had  by  this  time  been 
afforded  him. 

In  1906  he  attended  a  congi-ess  of  veterinarians  held  in 
Prussia,  at  which  he  was  received  as  a  distinguished  representa- 
tive and  accorded  exceptional  honors. 

In  1908  an  outbreak  of  what  is  called  the  foot-and-mouth 
disease,  a  virulent  and  contagious  affection,  occurring  in  Penn- 
sylvania through  the  importation  of  a  number  of  cattle  from 
New  York,  put  an  end  to  the  exportation  of  cattle  from  that 
state.  Dr.  Pearson  took  hold  of  the  situation  with  such  in- 
telligence and  energy  that,  although  on  account  of  the  scattering 
of  the  cattle  the  disease  appeared  almost  simultaneously  in 
many  different  places,  it  w^as  thoroughly  eradicated  within  the 
short  period  of  fire  months. 

The  attainments  and  good  judgment  of  Dr.  Pearson  led 
men  to  place  confidence  in  the  correctness  of  his  conclusions. 
He  was  ever  affable  and  courteous  in  his  relations  with  all 
people. 

From  John  K.   Mohler,  V.M.D.,   Chief  of  the  Pathological 
Laboratory,  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry : 
By  the  sudden  and  lamented  death  of  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson, 
a  great  leader  and  an  eminent  authority  in  the  ranks  of  the 
72 


Heonarti  ^car^oii 


veterinai-}-  j^rofession  has  fallen  at  the  early  age  of  forty-one 
years.  Although  my  late  colleague  had  referred  to  his  illness 
for  some  time  before  his  death,  and  had  suffered  greatly,  yet 
no  one,  not  even  himself,  suspected  that  death  was  so  near.  He 
was  not  only  a  brilliant  worker  in  the  field  of  veterinary  science, 
but  a  deep  and  earnest  student  of  all  problems  of  sanitary 
medicine  and  of  the  live  stock  industry  in  this  country.  His 
eminence  as  a  teacher,  investigator  and  sanitarian  is  known  to 
every  veterinarian  in  Xorth  America  and  to  all  the  leading 
men  of  the  profession  abroad.  With  that  tenacity  of  purpose 
and  unswerving  loyalty  to  his  friends  and  to  every  righteous 
cause  whicli  he  supported,  he  resolved  always  to  put  forth  his 
best  effort.  He  was  infused  with  the  indomitable  Puritan  spirit, 
which  had  descended  to  him  from  his  ancestors,  and  which 
formed  a  not  unimportant  element  in  his  achievements.  Veter- 
inary science  has  of  late  years  made  immense  progress.  Within 
the  lifetime  of  Dr.  Pearson  it  passed  from  a  mere  business  to  a 
recognized  and  eminent  profession,  now  acknowledged  as  essen- 
tial not  only  to  animal  life,  but  to  the  health  of  the  public; 
and  it  was  Dr.  Pearson's  good  fortune  to  assist  in  bringing  in 
this  new  era. 

As  a  teacher,  he  occupied  a  foremost  place  in  his  profession, 
and  no  one  was  more  highly  gifted  with  a  general  knowledge 
of  the  branches  of  the  science  he  taught.  He  was  a  good  dis- 
ciplinarian, but  acted  justly  with  all,  and  even  the  reckless 
student  never  thought  of  taking  a  liberty  with  him.  He  was 
profoundly  respected  among  his  students,  all  of  whom  felt  the 
benefit  of  his  large  experience  and  ripened  knowledge,  coupled 
with  common  sense  in  great  abundance.  He  possessed  the 
power  of  impressing  his  classes  in  a  remarkable  degree  and  was 
an  inspiration  to  those  under  his  teaching.  He  had  a  high  con- 
ception of  the  profession  of  veterinary  science,  a  true  idea  of 
its  importance  to  mankind,  which  he  inculcated  in  the  minds 
of  those  whom  he  taught.  His  lectures  were  always  marked 
by  a  lucidity  of  st^'le,  geniality  of  expression,  methodical  arrange- 
ment of  ideas,  and  precision  of  statement  which  made  them 
73 


3Fn  ;fHemoriam 


readily  understood  by  his  students.  He  gave  his  classes  the 
benefit  of  his  extensive  reading  and  of  the  most  advanced  teach- 
ings of  the  Old  World,  with  whose  literature  he  kept  himself 
familiar  through  his  ability  to  read  the  original  works.  His 
kindly  personality  had  a  stimulating  influence,  enabling  the 
men  to  put  forth  their  best  efforts  and  to  realize  their  ideals. 
Mere  contact  with  his  strong  and  noble  individuality  was  an 
educational  stimulus  of  the  highest  order.  He  possessed  qual- 
ities which  inspired  his  students  to  pure  living  and  high  think- 
ing, which  expressed  themselves  in  acts  of  mutual  confidence, 
helpfulness  and  sjnnpathy.  He  gave  of  his  counsel  most  un- 
grudgingly, and  of  his  time  unsparingly  and  unselfishly  to  all 
who  consulted  him.  Dr.  Pearson  possessed  both  the  knowledge 
of  the  scientist  and  the  rare  faculty  of  the  successful  teacher, 
implanting  in  his  students  a  desire  to  progress,  an  eagerness 
to  discover  and  to  delve  deeply  into  the  hidden  fields  of  knowl- 
edge. They  have  always  valued  his  instruction  and  have  taken 
great  pride  in  his  many  achievements  and  the  well-deserved 
honors  that  came  to  him  unsolicited.  He  was  a  pioneer  of  his 
time,  continually  urging  us  forward,  pointing  out  the  way  to 
success,  and  swaying  us  in  the  proper  direction  by  his  influence. 
We  all  possess  a  feeling  of  deep  gratitude  toward  him  and  a 
great  sense  of  personal  loss  and  of  profound  sorrow. 

As  a  colleague,  his  great  experience,  sound  knowledge  and 
clear  logical  intelligence  rendered  his  advice  most  valuable.  He 
was  admired  and  respected  alike  for  his  genial  personal  qualities, 
his  sound  scientific  instincts  and  accomplishments,  his  remark- 
able memory,  his  organizing  abilities,  and  his  marvellous  ca- 
pacity for  hard  and  continuous  effort.  The  offices  which  he 
held  came  to  him  because  of  universal  recognition  of  his  eminent 
fitness  for  the  duties  by  virtue  of  his  talents,  his  great  ver- 
satility and  his  devotion  to  duty,  in  which  he  was  unremitting 
and  enduring.  He  had  established  his  position  as  one  of  the 
master  minds  connected  with  the  problems  of  veterinary  science. 
His  active  perception,  his  quickness  and  firmness  of  decision, 
74 


HconarU  ^ear^on 


his  wide  experience  and  sterling  ability  were  ever  at  the  call 
of  his  colleagues.  His  activities  were  for  the  benefit  of  his 
country  as  well  as  of  the  profession  with  which  he  was  identified. 

To  a  few  it  is  given  to  make  life  steadily  productive,  to  make 
one's  self  a  factor  in  more  than  one  important  cause,  to  be  at 
the  centre  of  many  and  useful  activities  without  ostentation, 
presumption  or  notoriety.  Dr.  Pearson  was  so  distinguished. 
During  his  student  life,  and  subsequently,  he  acquired  both 
in  this  country  and  abroad  a  vast  amount  of  knowledge  in 
various  branches  of  science,  which  by  virtue  of  his  natural 
ability  enabled  him  to  become  an  original  investigator,  prolific 
writer  and  brilliant  educator.  Possessing  at  the  same  time 
exceptional  executive  ability  and  natural  intuition,  he  was  able 
to  cope  with  public  questions  in  a  masterly  manner. 

His  contributions  to  veterinary  literature,  which  were  always 
of  interest  and  value,  are  far  too  numerous  to  specify  individually. 
The  first,  entitled  "Muscular  Coats  of  the  (Esophagus  of 
Domesticated  Animals,"  appeared  in  January,  1888,  when  a 
student  at  Cornell,  while  the  last  completed  publication,  en- 
titled "The  Vaccination  of  Cattle  Against  Tuberculosis,"  was 
presented  at  the  recent  International  Tuberculosis  Congress, 
before  Section  7,  of  which  he  was  given  the  distinguished 
place  of  honor  as  president.  His  services  as  president  of  the 
local,  the  state  and  the  American  Veterinary  Medical  Association 
are  too  well  known  to  need  comment.  In  all  these  positions, 
and  as  a  useful  member  of  many  other  learned  societies,  he 
added  much  to  the  progress  and  development  of  his  chosen  pro- 
fession. The  veterinarians  in  general,  and  the  citizens  of  Penn- 
sylvania in  particular,  are  indebted  to  him  for  the  passage  of 
the  excellent  Pennsylvania  state  meat  inspection  law,  and  also 
for  securing  the  appropriations  which  made  possible  the  con- 
struction and  maintenance  of  the  new  veterinary  department 
of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  as  well  as  the  purchase  of 
a  state  experimental  farm  and  the  administration  of  the  work 
of  the  Live  Stock  Sanitar}'  Board,  of  which,  as  state  veter- 
75 


3Fii  illcmoriam 


inarian,  he  was  secretary.  He  will  always  be  reniemljered  for 
his  indefatigable  efforts  in  stamping  out  foot-and-mouth  disease 
from  Pennsylvania  last  winter,  and  for  his  work  on  tuberculosis, 
which  may  result  in  the  solution  of  the  tuberculosis  problem. 
He  was  among  the  first  to  prove  that  immunity  to  this  disease 
could  be  secured  by  vaccination,  but  his  work  along  this  line  was 
left  unfinished.  By  his  death  we  miss  a  brilliant  man  of  science, 
a  loyal  colleague  and  a  w^arm  supporter  of  the  veterinary  pro- 
fession. 

As  a  friend,  Leonard  Pearson  will  never  be  forgotten.  He 
was  aiuiable,  true  to  his  associates  and  to  all  his  obligations, 
earnest,  diplomatic  and  sturdy  in  the  maintenance  of  principles. 
To  thousands  the  announcement  of  his  death  brought  a  sense 
of  personal  bereavement.  He  was  unswervingly  faithful  to  his 
friends  and  was  of  a  helpful,  hopeful  nature.  He  possessed 
much  personal  magnetism,  through  which  he  established  a  s}Tn- 
pathetic  bond  with  all  his  friends.  It  is  only  those  who  have 
been  intimately  associated  with  him  who  can  appreciate  to  the 
full  his  value  and  the  really  great  work  he  has  accomplished.  He 
w^as  endowed  with  a  genial  and  lovable  disposition  and  was  a 
man  of  integrity  and  most  exemplary  habits.  His  love  and 
devotion  to  his  brothers  and  sisters,  and  especially  to  his  mother, 
were  beautiful  traits  of  his  character,  and  the  untimely  close 
of  his  career  was  unfortunately  far  removed  from  that  domestic 
association  which  w^as  undoubtedly  one  of  his  chief  pleasures 
in  life. 

He  earned  his  way  forward,  and  those  whose  relations 
with  him  were  exclusively  official  came  soon  to  know  almost  as 
well  as  his  friends  how  every  step  of  that  progress  was  a  reward 
for  an  unusual  accuracy  and  trustworthiness  and  a  personality 
as  strong  and  sincere  as  it  Avas  gentle.  He  stood  modestl}',  but 
earnestly  and  effectively,  for  the  larger  and  better  veterinary 
profession.  Further,  he  had  placed  himself  abreast  of  the 
progressive  movement  in  veterinary  science,  and  his  death  is  a 
distinct  loss  to  that  movement.  It  will  be  regarded  as  such 
76 


Heonarti  ^ear^on 


b}^  all  who  knew  him,  and  will  be  felt  with  especial  keenness 
by  that  large  body  of  our  profession  who  looked  upon  him  as 
one  of  the  foremost  of  their  representatives.  His  pleasure  in 
rendering  assistance  or  loaning  the  power  of  his  ever  helping 
hand  was  always  manifest,  and  won  for  him  much  favor  and 
many  friends.  Kind-hearted,  thoughtful  and  considerate,  when 
his  advice  was  sought  he  displaj^ed  rare  resourcefulness  and 
conscientiousness.  His  wide  knowledge,  his  wisdom  and  tact, 
his  unselfish  generosity  and  love  of  justice,  will  keep  "his 
memory  green  forever  with  all  those  who  have  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  his  friendship. 

From  Lawrexce  F.  Flick,  ]\I.D.,  Former  Director  of  the  Henry 
Phipps  Institute: 

Dr.  Leonard  Pearson  was  an  honorary  member  of  the  staff 
of  the  Henry  Phipps  Institute,  where  his  great  intellect  and 
many  noble  qualities  endeared  him  to  the  rest  of  the  staff.  His 
loss  affects  each  individually  as  well  as  the  world  at  large. 

When  the  Phipps  Institute  began  its  work  it  invited  a  number 
of  prominent  workers  in  the  tuberculosis  field  from  different 
parts  of  the  world  to  Philadelphia  to  give  a  course  of  lectures 
on  the  various  phases  of  tul)erculosis,  with  a  view  to  stimulating 
interest  in  the  subject.  One  of  the  men  invited  was  Maragliano, 
of  Genoa,  Italy,  who  had  attracted  the  attention  of  the  world 
for  some  time  by  his  claims  for  the  serum  which  he  had  dis- 
covered. Dr.  Maragliano  did  not  deliver  his  lecture  in  person, 
but  had  it  read  by  proxy.  It  was  specifically  stated  in  that 
lecture  that  it  is  possible  to  produce  a  specific  therapy  for  tuber- 
culosis, that  it  is  possible  to  immunize  animals  against  tuber- 
culosis, and  that  there  is  good  reason  to  hope  for  an  anti- 
tuberculosis vaccination  for  man. 

As  these  claims  necessitated  a  further  inquir}^  into  the  subject 

of  immunization  in  tuberculosis  by  the  institute,  it  was  decided 

to  send  Dr.  M.  P.  Ravenel  and  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson  to  Europe 

to  study  the  entire  subject  for  the  benefit  of  the  medical  pro- 

77 


9^n  i^emoriam 


fession  in  the  United  States.  Accordingly,  these  gentlemen  left 
for  Europe  in  the  summer  of  1904,  Dr.  M.  P.  Eavenel  going 
to  Italy  and  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson  to  Germany,  England  and 
Belgium. 

Dr.  Leonard  Pearson's  report  was  published  in  the  second 
annual  report  of  the  Henry  Phipps  Institute,  in  1906,  under 
the  heading  of  "  A  Eeview  of  Eecent  Investigations  and  Ob- 
servations Upon  the  Immunization  of  Animals  Against  Tuber- 
culosis." In  this  report  he  gives  a  complete  picture  of  the  sub- 
ject of  immunization  against  tuberculosis,  using  much  of  his 
own  work  for  building  up  the  picture.  He  handled  the  subject 
in  a  masterful  way. 

The  facts  gathered  and  reported  by  Dr.  M.  P.  Eavenel  and 
Dr.  Leonard  Pearson  left  in  doubt  the  value  of  Maragliano's 
serum  as  a  practical  remedy  in  tuberculosis,  but  threw  much 
light  upon  the  subject  of  immxmization.  They  pointed  the  way 
for  further  study  and  called  attention  to  the  part  which  in- 
vestigators in  the  United  States  had  played  in  the  elucidation 
of  the  subject. 

Dr.  Leonard  Pearson  was  one  of  the  most  original  and 
painstaking  investigators  in  the  tuberculosis  field,  in  his  own 
country  and  in  the  world.  He  had  a  strong  instinct  for  truth 
and  always  brought  a  logical  mind  to  its  pursuit.  The  crusade 
against  tuberculosis  has  indeed  lost  in  him  one  of  its  noblest 
workers. 

From   W.    Horace   Hoskins,   D.V.S.,   Lecturer   and   Demon- 
strator of  Veterinary  Jurisprudence,  Ethics  and  Busi- 
ness Methods,  University  of  Penns^^lvania : 
During  his  period  of  service  as  dean  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Veterinary  School,  the  school  maintained  a  high  standard  and 
a  curriculum  that  was  one  of  the  broadest  in  the  land.    Largely 
through  his  personal   efforts,   aided  by  the  profession  in  the 
state,  whose  admiration  and  appreciation  he  fully  enjoyed,  he 
obtained  state  aid  toward  the  erection  and  completion  of  build- 
78 


SconarH  ^ear^on 


ings  for  the  veterinary  school  that  promise  to  make  it,  in  equip- 
ment and  teaching  facilities,  unsurpassed  in  the  world.  As 
teacher  and  instructor,  his  wide  range  of  experience,  his  exten- 
sive investigations  in  the  field  of  original  work  among  animal 
diseases,  with  the  happy  faculty  of  conveying  this  knowledge 
to  others,  impressing  strongly  the  student  mind,  he  rendered 
services  of  special  value  to  the  profession,  and  many  states  and 
many  people  in  our  land  are  reaping  a  rich  reward  through 
the  efficient  work  done  by  alumni  of  this  school  which  he  so 
successfully  directed. 

As  secretary  of  the  State  Live  Stock  Sanitary  Board,  he  so 
organized  the  work  of  this  section  of  the  Department  of  Agri- 
culture that  the  methods  and  plans  of  dealing  with  animal 
diseases  have  become  favorably  known  as  the  Pennsylvania 
system.  Under  his  direction  this  department  developed  plans 
for  dealing  with  contagious  and  infectious  diseases  that  have 
saved  the  people  of  our  commonwealth  from  untold  losses.  The 
better  scientific  study  of  the  causes  and  methods  of  dealing 
with  these  diseases  has  been  materially  added  to,  at  the  same 
time  eliminating  the  inaccurate  and  misleading  theories  and 
methods  that  prevailed. 

The  establishment  of  a  state  farm  where  many  of  the  impor- 
tant infectious  and  contagious  diseases  are  being  studied  under 
farm  conditions,  and  methods  developed  whereby  they  may  be 
controlled  and  eradicated,  was  made  possible  by  his  efforts. 
Though  but  a  few  years  in  existence,  it  has  added  a  wealth  of 
valuable  knowledge  to  the  more  accurate  study  of  these  diseases, 
determined  the  practical  value  of  vaccination  for  tuberculosis 
in  cattle,  and  settled  many  obscure  points  in  that  ever-present 
and  all-important  malady.  His  discovery  of  the  true  nature  of 
the  disease  long  described  under  the  synonyms  of  spinal  menin- 
gitis, cerebrospinal  meningitis,  putrid  sore  throat,  spotted  fever, 
and  many  other  equally  indefinite  names,  and  the  placing  of  it 
under  the  single  nomenclature  of  "  forage  poisoning,"  has  added 
to  the  knowledge  of  its  control  and  methods  of  prevention  which 
79 


'3n  0itmoxiam 


means  a  great  sa\dng  to  those  engaged  in  equine  animal  iu- 
dustr}-. 

Under  his  directing  hand  a  meat  hygienic  service  was  estab- 
lished in  Pennsylvania  which  has  returned  to  the  state  untold 
benefits,  and  is  rapidly  developing  public  sentiment  in  favor  of 
municipal  and  local  meat  inspection.  In  establishing  this 
system  he  brought  forcibly  to  the  attention  of  the  people  of 
Pennsylvania  the  fact  that  the  federal  inspection  service  of  our 
land  covered  about  forty-five  per  cent,  of  our  animal  food 
supply,  and  that  there  was  but  slight  protection  to  the  remaining 
fifty-five  per  cent.  He  showed  also  that  the  large  cities  of  our 
state,  in  consuming  meats  principally  from  the  great  killing 
centres  of  the  West,  were  favored  to  the  added  danger  of  those 
who  lived  in  the  small  towms,  where  no  inspection  service 
existed. 

Much  of  the  increased  interest  among  breeders  of  pure-bred 
animals  in  our  state  is  due  to  his  active  interest  in  animal  in- 
dustry, and  the  establishment  of  the  present  stallion  inspection 
service  and  register  in  our  state  was  strongly  urged  and  ad- 
vocated by  Dr.  Pearson  in  the  legislature  of  1907.  This  measure 
has  already  borne  good  fruit  and  given  a  new  impetus  to  horse- 
breeding  in  our  state,  as  well  as  afforded  the  breeder  accurate 
knowledge  of  the  blood  lines  of  the  animals  that  stand  for 
public  service.  The  more  accurate  determination  of  the  part 
heredity  plays  in  the  transmission  of  predisposition  to  certain 
unsoundness  is  a  subject  he  strongly  recommended  to  the  atten- 
tion of  the  various  breeders'  associations  of  our  state.  In  all 
the  world  he  justly  earned  for  himself  a  place  among  the 
leading  "  animal  engineers." 

In  1907  his  alma  mater,  in  recognition  of  the  splendid  work 
done  in  the  veterinary  sanitary  control  service  and  of  his  achieve- 
ment on  behalf  of  higher  medicine,  conferred  upon  him  the 
honorary  degree  of  doctor  of  medicine.  It  can  be  truly  said 
that  no  more  worthy  honor  was  ever  bestowed  by  our  state 
university,  and  in  no  case  was  it  more  justly  earned  by  earnest, 
80 


Eeonarti  ^eatr^^on 


successful  work,  fidelity  to  great  principles  and  the  faithful  dis- 
charge of  the  most  exacting  obligations. 

As  a  delegate  from  the  United  States  to  the  two  last  inter- 
national congresses  on  tuberculosis  held  abroad,  his  work  on 
animal  tuberculosis  was  of  such  import  as  to  attract  world-wide 
attention,  and,  as  a  result  of  this  splendid  work,  at  the  recent 
congress  held  in  Washington,  D.  C,  he  was  given  the  distin- 
guished place  of  honor  at  the  head  of  this  section  of  this 
greatest  of  congresses. 

He  helpfully  filled  the  position  of  president  of  the  Keystone, 
Pennsylvania  and  American  veterinaiy  medical  associations, 
adding  to  their  better  growth  and  advancement.  His  contribu- 
tions on  many  aspects  of  veterinary  science  and  education  have 
attracted  universal  attention  and  consideration. 

Pleasant  and  affable  in  manner,  generous  in  nature,  thought- 
ful of  others  at  all  times,  he  has  won  a  coveted  place  among 
the  members  of  his  adopted  vocation.  In  the  discharge  of 
great  responsibilities,  a  full  measure  of  which  he  always  accepted, 
he  has  "m.ade  good,"  and  a  nation's  people  has  become  his 
debtor. 

From  George  B.  Jobson,  Veterinarian,  Ex-President  Pennsyl- 
vania State  Veterinary  Medical  Association: 

It  is  beyond  the  power  of  the  writer  to  express  the  feeling 
of  gloom  and  sense  of  intense  loss  upon  being  apprised  of  the 
sudden  death  of  our  beloved  friend,  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson.  Com- 
ing at  a  time  when  we  had  fondly  hoped  that  his  vacation  would 
be  the  means  of  restoring  him  again  to  health,  with  the  ability 
to  resume  his  duties,  the  sad  news  of  his  sudden  demise,  shatter- 
ing these  happy  expectations,  was  a  severe  shock  to  his  friends. 

An  indefatigable  worker,  his  life  was  spent  on  the  altar  of 
service  for  the  good  of  the  state  in  his  chosen  line  of  work. 
In  his  profession  he  was  recognized  as  a  leader,  both  in  this 
country  and  in  Europe.  The  state  of  Pennsylvania  owes  him 
much,  it  being  very  largely  through  his  efforts  tliat  she  occupies 
6  81 


5Fn  Jttemoriam 


the  position  wliicli  she  now  does  of  the  leading  state  of  the 
Union  in  veterinary  sanitation  for  the  protection  of  the  public 
health.  Again,  the  appropriations  for  the  veterinary  school  in 
Philadelphia,  which  when  completed  promises  to  be  the  best 
equipped  veterinary  school  on  this  continent,  were  made  by  the 
several  legislatures  almost  entirely  on  Dr.  Pearson's  representa- 
tion and  because  of  the  confidence  which  the  legislators  had  in 
his  judgment  and  ability  as  dean  of  the  faculty. 

A  thoroughly  good  judge  of  farm  stock  and  its  management, 
outside  of  the  veterinary  profession,  no  class  of  citizens  will 
miss  him  so  much  as  the  farmers  of  this  commonwealth,  his 
counsel  and  advice  on  the  breeding  and  management  of  stock 
being  eagerly  sought  for  by  them.  At  stockbreeders'  meetings 
no  speaker  was  more  welcome  than  Dr.  Pearson. 

While  the  public  at  large  recognized  the  ability  of  our  be- 
loved friend  and  the  commanding  position  which  he  occupied 
as  the  leader  in  his  profession,  it  was  the  sterling  qualities  of 
the  mind  and  heart  which  endeared  him  to  his  intimate  asso- 
ciates. Sympathetic  and  afEectionate,  he  was  ever  ready  to  listen 
to  and  to  help  those  who  were  unfortunate  or  in  distress.  Loyal 
and  true  to  his  friends,  patient  and  considerate  to  those  who 
sorely  tried  his  patience,  he  was  one  of  nature's  noblemen,  and 
in  his  death  we  mourn  the  loss  of  one  of  the  brightest  lights 
in  the  veterinary  profession,  as  well  as  a  tried  and  true  friend. 

From  Bernhard  Bang,  Professor  at  the  Royal  Veterinary  and 
Agricultural   College,    at    Copenhagen,    Denmark,    and 
Chief  Veterinarian  to  the  Danish  Government: 
He  was  a  good  and  a  wise  man,  and  I  loved  him  sincerely. 
I  am  highly  indebted  to  him  not  only  for  the  warm  interest  he 
always  took  in  my  studies  in  tuberculosis,  but  for  the  great  kind- 
ness he  always  has  shown  to  me.     I  venture  to  believe  that  he 
considered  me  a  personal  friend,  just  as  I  had  the  same  feeling 
for  him.     It  is  one  of  the  greatest  pleasures  in  our  life  to  get 
true  friends,  even  if  they  live  far  away,  so  that  we  rarely  see 
82 


ileonatti  ^earjefon 


them.  I  have  had  the  great  fortune  to  get  friends  in  different 
countries,  but  Dr.  Pearson  was  one  of  the  best.  I  therefore  feel 
it  as  a  great  sorrow  that  I  shall  never  meet  him  again.  I 
considered  it  a  great  fortune  that  I  could  spend  some  little 
time  in  his  company  last  year,  and  I  shall  always  remember  his 
great  kindness  to  me  most  thankfully. 

From  A.  Liautaed,  M.D.,  V.M.,  editor  of  American  Veterinai-y 
Review : 

I  love  Pearson.  1  watched  his  work,  his  progress,  his  success 
— everything  in  him.  He  worked  so  hard.  His  efforts  were  so 
congenial  with  the  work  of  my  days  in  America.  And  then  he 
deserved  so  much  for  what  he  did.  The  state  of  Pennsylvania 
has  lost  one  of  her  best  sons.  The  veterinary  profession  will 
for  a  long  time  to  come  miss  him,  one  of  her  strongest  supports. 

From'  the  Faculty  of  the  College  of  Veterinary  Medicine  of  the 
George  Washington  University: 
Individually  and  as  a  faculty  we  mourn,  with  the  family  and 
the  veterinary  profession  throughout  the  world,  the  loss  of  an 
unexcelled  leader  whose  efforts  and  results  in  the  rapid  progress 
of  our  profession  will  ever  stand  as  a  memoriam  which  will  not 
grow  less  as  generations  come  and  go. 

From  the  American  Veterinary  Review,  for  March,  1910 : 

All  the  veterinary  publications  of  Europe  have  expressed  their 
regrets  and  given  proper  obituary  notices  for  the  loss  that  the 
profession  in  the  United  States  has  sustained  in  the  death  of 
our  dear  departed  friend.  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson. 

There  is  no  person  whose  privilege  it  was  to  have  known  the 
late  Leonard  Pearson  but  who  gauged  his  ability  above  that 
of  the  average  man  and  thoroughly  appreciated  the  masterly 
work  he  was  doing  in  veterinary  and  sanitary  medicine;  but 
few  there  are  who  could  have  measured  the  extent  to  which 
his  plans  -were  projecting  into  the  future,  while  he  was  per- 
83 


3Fn  ;^emomm 


forming  his  duties  in  tlie  present.  Now  that  he  has  passed 
into  the  golden  reahus  of  immortality,  his  mortal  plans  are 
being  gradually  unfolded  by  those  into  whose  keeping  his 
precious  legacy  has  passed. 

The  new  buildings  of  the  veterinary  school  at  Philadelphia, 
of  which  he  was  dean,  were  planned  by  him,  and,  while  he 
was  called  to  his  Maker  long  before  their  completion,  yet  he 
had  carefully  planned  every  detail,  so  that  as  the  work  goes 
on  from  time  to  time  it  is  making  material  the  creation  of 
his  fertile  mind. 

In  many  instances  the  uses  for  which  he  had  designed  certain 
parts  of  the  buildings  had  not  presented  themselves  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  and  are  now  coming  into  evidence  as  such  occasions 
as  he  had  anticipated  present  themselves.  An  example  is  the 
dinner  given  by  the  Keystone  Veterinary  Medical  Association 
to  the  two  gentlemen  who  have  succeeded  him  as  dean  of  the 
veterinary  school  and  as  state  veterinarian,  which  was  held  in 
Alumni  Hall,  a  room  in  the  veterinary  building  "  planned  by 
Dr.  Pearson  for  just  such  occasions,"  as  was  feelingly  remarked 
by  Dr.  John  Marshall  at  that  dinner. 

Another  impressive  example  of  the  fruition  of  his  plans  was 
the  congregation,  upon  the  campus  and  within  the  buildings 
of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  Veterinary  School,  in  the  first 
days  of  February,  of  the  Pennsylvania  Live  Stock  Breeders' 
Association  and  the  Penns3dvania  Dairy  Union.  Not  only  were 
these  two  important  organizations  in  session  within  the  buildings 
of  the  veterinary  school,  but  had  with  them  an  exhibition  of 
several  breeds  of  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  swine,  poultry  and  even  a 
variety  of  fruit.  With  his  broad  conception  of  things.  Dr. 
Pearson  had  appreciated  the  mutual  advantages  that  must  accrue 
from  such  an  arrangement.  The  great  benefit  to  the  student 
body  of  that  school  that  must  result  from  the  presence  of  the 
farm  animals  and  the  association  with  those  bodies  of  men 
familiar  with  their  care,  habits,  and  various  productive  qual- 
ities is  pleasant  to  contemplate.  He  had,  however,  more  than 
84 


Slconarti  ^ear^on 


that  in  iiiiiid.  He  realized  the  benefits  to  tlie  veterinary  pro- 
fession that  must  result  from  the  stockman's  becoming  some- 
what familiar  with  what  constitutes  a  veterinary  school,  its 
course  of  construction,  equipment,  etc. 

He  had  planned  to  have  those  organizations  meet  there,  just 
as  they  did  last  month,  calculating  for  their  accommodation  in 
the  plans  of  the  veterinary  building.  Fruition !  Ah,  but  who 
can  measure  the  extent  of  the  fruition?  It  certainly  is  not 
measured  by  the  benefits  derived  by  that  student  body  through 
the  presence  of  those  organizations  and  the  live  stock  exhibit 
in  their  midst,  and  the  benefit  to  the  veterinary  profession  and 
the  stockman  because  the  latter  has  conceived  by  his  visit  to 
that  institution  a  higher  regard  for  the  veterinarian,  much  as 
that  means.  No;  it  will  continue  to  bear  fruit  by  a  perpetua- 
tion of  such  a  custom  in  that  institution  and  by  its  emulation 
by  others,  and  is  beyond  calculation. 

The  Live  Stock  Breeders'  Association,  of  which  Dr.  Pearson 
was  vice-president,  and  the  Penns3'lvania  Dairy  Union  paid 
their  respects  to  his  memory  in  a  memorial  service  on  the  even- 
ing of  Febniary  2  at  Houston  Hall,  Just  as  respect  is  paid  to 
his  memory  and  his  name  revered  whenever  or  wherever  there 
is  a  congregation  of  veterinarians.  These  two  examples  of 
the  fruits  of  the  labor  of  this  great  man,  which  are  being  har- 
vested by  the  profession  in  whose  fields  he  so  earnestly  and 
unselfishly  labored,  are  infinitesimal  as  compared  with  what  the 
vineyards  of  the  future  hold  in  store  for  them;  but  they  will, 
perhaps,  serve  to  remind  the  great  army  to  which  he  belonged 
of  their  everlasting  obligation  to  him  and  to  stimulate  its  mem- 
bers to  higher  ideals. 

From  Tetcrinary  Notes,  for  December,  1909 : 

In  the  recent  death  of  Dr.  Pearson  the  veterinary  profession 

has  lost  one  of  its  brightest  ornaments — a  man  of  world-wide 

reputation  and  of  distinguished  services.    He  was  greatly  missed 

last  September  at  the  Chicago  meeting  of  the  American  Veter- 

85 


3Fn  iWemoriam 


inary  2vledical  Association,  but  those  in  attendance  little  realized 
the  permanent  loss  which  was  so  soon  to  be  suffered  by  them. 

Dr.  Pearson  had  seriously  impaired  his  health  from  overwork, 
and  last  spring  had  decided  that  he  must  have  a  complete  rest. 
Just  about  that  time  he  was  nearly  asphyxiated  in  efforts  to 
save  his  mother^s  life  when  she  had  been  overcome  by  gas  from 
a  stove  in  her  private  room.  Altogether  his  constitution  was 
so  undermined  that  he  decided  on  a  trip  to  Newfoundland. 
There,  after  some  months  had  passed,  he  died  on  September  20. 
It  is  thought  that  the  cause  of  his  death  was  heart  disease. 

Dr.  Pearson  was  born  in  1868  in  Indiana.  In  1888  he  was 
graduated  from  the  agricultural  course  in  Cornell  University, 
and  in  1890  from  the  veterinary  department  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania.  During  1890-91  he  attended  lectures  in  the 
veterinary  schools  of  Berlin  and  Dresden  and  studied  bacteri- 
ology in  Koch's  laboratory.  In  September,  1891,  he  returned  to 
this  country,  and  was  elected  assistant  professor  of  the  theory 
and  practice  of  veterinary  medicine  at  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania. Three  3'ears  later  he  was  promoted  to  a  full  professor- 
ship, and  later  on  was  made  dean  of  the  veterinary  school. 

Dr.  Pearson  was  chiefly  known,  indeed,  as  the  dean  of  this 
great  school  of  veterinary  medicine,  and,  in  addition  to  this,  as 
the  state  veterinarian  of  Pennsylvania.  His  activities  were 
exerted,  however,  in  many  other  directions.  For  five  years  he 
had  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Health  of  Philadelphia  and 
a  m.ember  also  of  the  advisory  board  of  the  State  Department 
of  Health.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the  representative 
for  North  and  South  America  on  the  permanent  board  of  the 
International  Veterinary  Congress.  He  had  served  for  two  terms 
as  president  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Veterinary  Association 
arid  the  Keystone  Veterinary  Society.  He  was  president  of  the 
American  Veterinary  Association  in  1899-1900.  He  was  presi- 
dent of  Section  7  of  the  International  Congress  on  Tuberculosis 
.which  was  held  during  September  and  October  of  last  5'-ear  in 
Washington.     He  was  a  member  of  the  Guernsey  Cattle  Club 


Eeonarti  ^tatgm 


of  Philadelphia,  the  Pennsylvania  State  Breeders'  Association, 
the  Pennsylvania  State  Dairy  Union,  the  Pennsylvania  State 
Grange,  the  American  Public  Health  Association,  the  Patho- 
logical Society,  and  the  American  Philosophical  Society. 

Dr.  Pearson  had  been  abroad  on  several  occasions  as  a  repre- 
sentative either  of  his  profession  or  of  the  government,  attend- 
ing meetings  of  such  bodies  as  the  International  Veterinary 
Congress,  the  International  Tuberculosis  Congress,  and  the  In- 
ternational Congress  of  Hygiene  and  Demogi'aphy.  He  had 
visited  nearly  all  of  the  veterinary  schools  of  Europe,  some  of 
them  many  times,  and  he  had  a  wide  acquaintance  with  leading 
foreign  veterinarians  and  veterinary  systems.  First  appointed 
state  veterinarian  in  1895  by  Governor  Hastings,  he  had  been 
successively  reappointed  by  three  other  governors,  and  for  some 
years  previous  to  his  death  he  had  been  secretary  of  the  State 
Board,  and  in  this  capacity  had  directed  its  veterinary  and 
executive  work. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Veterinary  Medical 
Association,  held  September  7,  1910,  the  following  reso- 
lutions were  adopted: 
Whereas,  It  has  pleased  Almighty  God  in  His  infinite  wis- 
dom  to   remove   from   our   midst   our   friend,   co-worker   and 
fellow-member,  Leonard  Pearson,  therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  That  in  his  death  this  association  mourns  the  loss 
of  a  valued  member,  each  member  of  the  association  mourns 
the  loss  of  a  personal  friend  and  co-worker,  and  that  the  pro- 
fession in  general  has  suffered  the  loss  of  one  zealous  for  and 
active  in  its  upbuilding;  and  be  it  further 

Resolved,  That  we  extend  to  the  family  of  our  departed 
member  the  assurance  of  our  sincere  and  heartfelt  sympathy  in 
our  common  bereavement,  and  that  a  copy  of  these  resolutions 
be  spread  upon  the  records. 

A.  D.  Melvin,  President 
Richard  P.  Lyman,  Secretary 
87 


STn  JHemoriam 


The  following  was  presented  by  Dr.  Hoskins  at  the  meeting  of 
the  American  Veterinary  Medical  Association,  held 
September  5  to  9,  1910,  San  Francisco: 

Leonard  Pearson,  devoted  student,  successful  graduate,  skilled 
practitioner,  able  instructor,  patient  investigator,  eminent  public 
official,  true  diplomat,  profound  teacher,  sincere  friend,  strenu- 
ously consecrating  his  life  to  the  broader  development  of  veter- 
inary science.  Thrice  blessed  indeed  is  the  field  of  any  work 
for  such  a  man.  Stricken  indeed,  injured  beyond  the  hope  of 
repair,  must  be  the  cause,  in  the  loss  of  such  a  helper.  Timely 
is  the  occasion  to  pay  tribute  to  such  a  fallen  leader.  He  was 
not  a  man  without  honor  in  his  own  country,  for  he  was  as 
deeply  loved  and  admired  by  those  who  w^ere  closely  associated 
with  him  in  service  as  he  was  honored  and  appreciated  by  those 
at  home  and  abroad  who  were  permitted  from  time  to  time  to 
realize  and  measure  the  progress  of  his  work,  and  gaze  upon 
the  magnificent  plans  he  unfolded  to  the  world  as  the  triumphant 
march  of  veterinary  progi-ess.  Simplicity  and  gentleness  were 
as  much  a  part  of  his  daily  life  among  men  as  were  the  earnest 
work,  untiring  energy,  and  deep  devotion  to  every  aspect  of  the 
field  of  veterinary  science,  to  which  he  added  the  touch  of 
progress,  advancement  and  achievements  that  seemed  to  be 
boundless  in  their  limits.  His  childhood  days  were  idealistic, 
spent  in  great  part  in  the  loving  companionship  and  tutoring 
of  his  saintly  mother,  for  whom  he  maintained  until  his  un- 
timely death  the  most  profound  devotion,  tenderest  solicitude 
and  loving  attention,  and  in  his  own  life  was  reflected  the 
gentleness  and  simplicity  that  so  markedly  characterized  his 
attitude  toward  all  with  whom  he  daily  came  in  close  com- 
munication. 

His  work  as  an  instructor  will  never  die,  for  men  will 
ever  emulate  his  rich  and  exemplary  life.  His  fortitude 
and  forbearance  will  ever  be  remembered  and  the  softening  and 
benign  influences  will  continue  to  spread  their  soothing  unction 


88 


Ileonarti  ^ear^on 


over  the  body  of  men  who  honor  and  revere  his  name.  As  an 
investigator  his  splendid  contributions  to  the  field  of  original 
research  will  ever  be  a  beacon  light  to  the  true  investigator  and 
a  stimulus  to  the  genius  of  others,  for  he  ever  loved  to  share 
the  glory  and  renown  of  his  achievements  with  those  who  in 
some  part  contributed  to  their  successful  attainment.  As  a  true 
diplomat  he  had  accomplished  in  his  adopted  state  a  work  in 
the  field  of  veterinary  sanitary  control  excelled  by  no  sister 
state  of  our  Union  and  scarcely  equalled  by  any  other.  Legis- 
lative bodies  would  come  and  go;  state  officials  would  fulfil 
their  terms  of  office  and  others  would  succeed  them;  he  won 
them  all  in  their  turn  to  his  cause,  and  each  successive  change 
was  marked  by  greater  achievement,  broader  lines  of  work  and 
stronger  pecuniary  support  to  the  work  he  advocated  and  opened 
up  for  the  welfare  of  the  people  of  the  commonwealth  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  established  a  system  that  has  been  many  times 
deservedly  honored  by  the  name  of  the  Pennsylvania  system. 
Untiring  and  ceaseless  were  his  labors  for  our  common  calling. 
The  goal  he  sought  seemed  ever  to  be  just  beyond,  like  the  ignis 
fatuus,  and  he  bent  every  energy  that  he  might  hasten  its 
accomplishment.  Strong  and  brilliant  in  mind,  powerful  and 
resourceful  in  his  physical  strength,  bearing  the  burdens  of 
many,  sharing  the  labors  of  all  with  whom  he  worked  and 
labored,  he  tried  all  these  powers  to  the  breaking  point,  and  in 
the  seeming  hour  of  his  greatest  strength,  with  a  more  restful 
period  beyond,  he  paid  the  penalty  of  an  overtaxed  mind  and 
body,  and  his  own  state,  our  country,  a  nation's  profession, 
witnessed  the  fall  of  the  ablest  and  greatest  leader  of  his  day 
and  generation  that  our  profession  has  known.  As  an  in- 
vestigator we  owe  him  a  lasting  debt  of  gratitude.  We  owe  him 
much  for  the  splendid  methods  he  inaugurated.  A  state  farm, 
where,  under  ordinary  conditions,  the  many  unsolved  problems 
of  our  long  list  of  contagious  and  infectious  diseases  might  be 
more  successfully  studied,  was  one  of  the  earliest  of  his  plans. 


5n  JHcnioriam 


To  Pennsylvania  he  rendered  services  of  untold  value,  and  when 
successfully  applied  there,  he  modestly,  without  any  ostentatious 
display,  gave  the  results  of  his  work  to  the  entire  field.  He 
gave  the  name  of  forage  poisoning  to  one  of  our  most  disastrous 
diseases  by  proving  that  it  belonged  in  that  categor}''  for  its 
development,  and  brushed  away  the  mystery  of  that  disease,  as 
well  as  the  confusion  engendered  by  the  names  of  cerebrospinal 
meningitis,  spinal  meningitis,  spotted  fever,  putrid  sore  throat, 
etc.  A  successful  practical  method  of  vaccinating  cattle,  where- 
by immunity  might  be  given  to  the  greatest  and  most  destructive 
enemy  of  our  dairies,  tuberculosis,  made  its  richest  and  best 
progress  under  his  directing  mind,  while  methods  for  its  better 
control,  without  disturbing  the  equanimity  of  a  people,  found 
successful  fruition  at  his  hands. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  of  the  Alumni  of  the 
School    of   Veterinary    Medicine   of   the   University   of 
Pennsylvania,  held  June  15,  1910,  Dr.  John  W.  Adams 
offered  the  following  resolution,  which  was  unanimously 
adopted : 
During  the  past  year  we  have  suffered  an  unexpected  and 
almost  irreparable  loss  in  the  death  of  our  late  fellow- alumnus 
and  colleague,  Leonard  Pearson,  B.S.,  Cornell  University,  1888, 
V.D.S.,  University  of  Pennsylvania,  1890,  M.D.,  Causa  Honoris, 
1908,  Professor  of  Principles  and  Practice  of  Comparative  Medi- 
cine and  Dean  of  the  Veterinary  School,  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania,   Secretary    of    the    Pennsylvania    State    Live    Stock 
Sanitary  Board,  State  Veterinarian  of  Pennsylvania.     Occupy- 
ing with  marked  distinction  at  various  times  during  his  all  too 
short  career  nearly  every  position  of  leadership  and  trust  in 
the  gift  of  his  fellow  co-laborers,  in  the  zenith  of  his  life,  with 
honor  and  opportunity  of  greater   accomplishments  crowding 
thick  upon  him,  he  has  been  taken  from  us.     He  has   left 
enduring  monuments  of  his   wisdom  and  untiring  energy  in 
this,  our  own  veterinary  school,  which  he  loved  so  dearly;    in 
90 


HeonarD  ^eat^on 


the  maguificently  organized  Pennsylvania  system  of  veterinary 
control;  and,  more  enduring  and  of  vastly  greater  import,  he 
has  lived  his  strong,  pure,  hopeful,  wholesome,  helpful,  inspiring 
life  in  our  midst  and  impressed  his  splendid  personality  upon 
all  who  knew  him  intimately. 

The  society  does  hereby  gratefully  acknowledge  its  great  in- 
debtedness and  its  profound  sorrow,  and  records  this  slight 
tribute  to  our  late  brother,  Leonard  Pearson. 

The  following  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  A^eterinary  Faculty 
of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania: 

The  strange  mutations  of  Providence  have  stricken  down,  in 
the  seeming  hour  of  his  greatest  strength,  our  acknowledged 
leader,  esteemed  colleague,  and  fellow-worker,  Leonard  Pearson. 
At  noonday  of  his  greatest  usefulness  and  most  serious  need, 
he  has  paid  the  final  summons  to  the  last  sleep. 

To  this  school,  for  whose  advancement  he  knew  no  limit  of 
service,  his  profession,  to  which  he  brought  the  highest  honors 
and  greatest  progress,  his  fellow-workers,  to  whom  he  brought  a 
rich  measure  of  reward  for  services  well  done,  and  to  the  well- 
being  of  all  mankind,  he  added  much  to  make  life  better  worth 
living.  Personally  rich  in  the  precious  gifts  of  a  kindly  dis- 
position, a  genial  manner,  a  charming  grace,  and  the  deepest 
love  for  his  fellow-man,  his  career  among  us  stands  out  a 
shining  example  of  a  life  well  lived,  and  a  companionship  too 
short,  too  early  severed. 

Preciously  indeed  must  the  coming  years  enhance  the  priv- 
ilege to  have  been  numbered  among  his  friends.  Exemplary  as 
were  his  character  and  stewardship,  stronger  and  better  must 
our  service  be  in  our  common  field  of  labor,  that  he  shall  not 
have  lived  in  vain.  Sweet  and  enduring  the  memories  of  his 
untiring  zeal  and  fidelity,  enshrined  in  our  safekeeping,  to  open 
up  to  us  a  higher  sense  of  duty  and  consecrated  services,  for 
which  he  labored  and  toiled. 

In  the  evening  shadows  of  our  deep  sorrow,  as  we  record 
61 


3Fn  i^enioriam 


this  minute  of  our  great  loss,  we  are  sustained  by  the  spirit  of 
him  for  whom  we  mourn,  and  out  of  the  mist  and  shadows  let 
us  endeavor  to  discern  the  pathway  which  he  would  have  us 
tread. 

The  trustees  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  having  learned 
with  sorrow  of  the  death  of  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson,  M.D., 
V.M.D.,  Dean  of  the  School  of  Veterinary  Medicine, 
adopted  the  following  resolution : 

Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  Leonard  Pearson  tlie  university 
mourns  the  loss  of  one  of  her  best-known  and  most  active  pro- 
fessors, and  the  veterinary  department  its  foremost  and  ablest 
member,  one  to  whose  energy,  decision  of  character  and  fore- 
sight is  in  a  great  measure  due  the  material  advancement  of 
the  veterinary  profession  in  the  United  States. 

Straightforward  in  all  his  undertakings,  frank,  courteous,  and 
genial  in  his  manner  to  all,  he  ever  held  to  the  high  principle 
that  the  best  should  be  the  standard  for  his  vocation,  and 
devoted  his  life  to  that  end.  His  name  will  be  one  of  the 
memories  of  the  veterinary  profession  in  America,  and  the 
buildings  which  he  was  instrumental  in  obtaining,  his  lasting 
monument. 

The  following  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  General  Alumni 
Society  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania: 

Whereas^  By  the  death  of  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson,  the  General 
Alumni  Society,  University  of  Pennsylvania,  has  suffered  the 
loss  of  one  who  was  for  many  years  a  vice-president  of  the 
society,  representing  the  veterinary  school,  and 

Whereas,  The  General  Alumni  Society  was  benefited  in 
association  with  Dr.  Pearson,  a  man  of  strong  personality,  skill 
as  a  veterinarian,  and  possessing  marked  enthusiasm  for  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  General  Alumni  Society  record  sentiments 
of  deep  sorrow;  and  that  expressions  of  sincere  sympathy  be 
92 


HeonarD  ^ear^on 


tendered  Dr.  Pearson's  mother;  and,  further,  that  these  resolu- 
tions be  published  in  the  university  periodicals. 

At  a  regular  meeting  of  the  Veterinary  Medical  Society  of  the 

University   of   Pennsylvania,   held   December   17,   1909, 

the  following  resolution  was  adopted : 

Whereas,  Almighty  God  in  His  wisdom  has  removed  from 

us  our  beloved  and  esteemed  honorary  president.  Dr.  Leonard 

Pearson,  who  organized  and  founded  the  Veterinary  Medical 

Society  of  the  University  of   Pennsylvania,   and   who  by  his 

kindly  and  able  advice  contributed  so  largely  to  the  good  and 

welfare  of  this  societ}',  therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  officers  and  members  of  the  Veterinary 
]\Iedical  Society  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  do  hereby 
express  their  profound  sorrow  and  deep  sense  of  loss  sustained 
by  the  death  of  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson,  and  that  a  copy  of  this 
resolution  be  placed  upon  the  records  of  this  society,  also  a  copy 
be  presented  to  his  bereaved  mother. 

John  N.  Eosenbekger,  President 
Phil  H.  Fulstow,  Secretaiy 

nVlLLIAM     S.     GiMPER 

Committee  MVilliam  H.  Ivens 
(^HuGH  W.  Barnes 

The  following  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  School  of  Agricul- 
ture and  Experiment  Station  of  the  Pennsylvania  State 
College : 
Whereas,  Death  has  removed  from  the  midst  of  his  useful 
career.  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson,  State  Veterinarian  of  this  Com- 
monwealth, and  Dean  of  the  School  of  Veterinary  Medicine  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  who  has  frequently  rendered 
valuable  aid  to  the  work  of  the  School  of  Agriculture  of  the 
Pennsylvania  State  College, 

Resolved,  That  the  members  of  the  School  of  Agriculture 
hereby  express  their  deep  sense  of  loss  at  Dr.  Pearson's  death, 
93 


3Fn  ;pemoriam 


and  their  high  appreciation  of  his  noble  character  and  of  the 
value  of  his  services  to  the  state  in  his  able  management  of  his 
responsible  office,  and  to  the  profession  of  veterinary  medicine, 
to  which  he  devoted  himself  with  lofty  ideals,  and  tireless 
energy  as  a  fruitful  investigator,  an  inspiring  teacher,  and  a 
courageous  organizer. 

The  Eoyal  Hungarian  Veterinary  College  of  Budapest  sent  this 

letter : 
C.  J.  Marshall,  Esq., 

Philadelphia. 
Dear  Sir: 

The  Teaching  Body  of  the  Royal  Hungarian  Veterinary 
College  of  Budapest,  at  the  sitting  of  the  8th  of  last  month, 
took  note,  with  sincere  sorrow,  of  the  unexpected  decease  of 
Professor  Leonard  Pearson.  The  sad  event  made  upon  the 
members  an  impression  all  the  more  painful  from  the  fact  that 
the  deceased  gentleman,  though  so  young,  had  already  rendered 
to  science  distinguished  services;  they  feel,  too,  that  in  him 
they  have  lost  a  colleague  whose  genial  personality  endeared 
him  to  all  who  met  him. 

On  behalf  of  the  teaching  body,  whose  condolences  I   am 
empowered  to  express,   I  beg  that  these  condolences  may  be 
duly  taken  note  of  and  imparted  to  the  teaching  body  of  the 
veterinary  college  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 
I  am.  Dear  Sir,  yours  faithfully, 

Franz  Hutyra. 

The  following  resolutions  were  adopted  by  the  State  Board  of 
Agriculture  of  Pennsylvania: 
Resolved,  That  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture  profoundly 
regret  the  death  of  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson,  late  veterinary  surgeon 
of  this  board,  and  extend  to  the  family  of  the  deceased  sincere 
condolence  in  their  bereavement. 

Resolved,  'That  we  are  deeply  conscious  of  the  loss  sustained 
94 


Heonarti  ^ear^on 


by  his  death,  and  desire  to  bear  witness  of  his  sterling  worth 
as  a  man,  his  integrity  and  ability  as  an  official,  and  his 
courtesy  and  fidelity  toward  those  with  whom  he  was  here  asso- 
ciated. 

Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  spread  upon  the  minutes, 
and  that  a  copy  of  these  resolutions,  with  the  action  of  the 
board,  be  forwarded  to  the  family  of  the  deceased  by  the 
secretary  of  the  board. 

S.  S.  Blyholder,  Chairman 
M.  P.  Shoemaker 
Matthew  Kodgers 

The  following  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  Keystone  Veterinary 
Medical  Association,  November  9,  1909 : 

Out  of  the  seeming  unknown  there  ever  comes  forth  at  times 
of  a  nation's  great  needs  men  strong  and  specially  fitted  for 
distinguished  services  for  a  country's  people. 

Into  the  domain  of  veterinary  science  there  stepped,  in  the 
early  nineties,  one  whose  taking  away  we  now  mourn  with  a 
deeper  sadness  and  keener  appreciation  of  a  greater  loss  than 
has  ever  fallen  upon  the  profession  of  our  land. 

With  all  the  priceless  heritage  of  a  mother's  training  and 
education,  and  the  filial  devotion  that  steadfastly  sustained  him 
through  life,  he  grew  up  with  all  the  charm  of  a  loving  and 
sweet  disposition,  the  kindliest  of  manner  and  most  considerate 
forethought  for  others,  and  passed  from  our  midst  too  soon, 
more  widely  lamented  than  the  boundaries  of  our  own  country. 

With  a  wonderfully  trained  mind,  he  portrayed  the  future 
of  veterinary  science,  and  fashioned  his  own  life  work  to  com- 
plete the  structure  that  he  conceived. 

Endowed  by  nature  with  great  physical  powers,  he  labored 
with  incessant  zeal,  unmindful  of  the  inexorable  laws  of  rest 
and  work,  straining  his  wonderful  storehouse  of  strength  to  the 
breaking  limit,  that  he  might  compass  the  magnificent  plans, 
constantly  unfolding  from  his  great  creative  mind. 
95 


3Fn  ;fWemorxam 


Blessed  are  they  who  were  privileged  to  bask  in  the  sunshine 
of  his  life,  for  he  ever  lifted  men  to  higher  planes  of  service 
and  of  usefulness.  Enduring  must  ever  be  the  memories  of 
his  crowded  life  of  rich  tributes  to  his  profession.  Nameless 
and  unnumbered  the  little  acts  of  kindness  and  of  love  his 
bounty  spread  on  every  side. 

May  we  in  this  hour  of  irreparable  loss  find,  in  the  example 
of  his  life  of  unselfish  devotion  to  our  interests,  a  finner  bond 
of  union  that  will  make  for  our  calling  a  progress  and  devotion 
as  a  fitting  monument  for  the  blessings  he  gave,  in  some  measure 
a  testimonial  of  our  esteem  and  admiration. 

Joining  with  those  who  were  bound  to  him  with  ties  of 
blood  and  loving  affection,  we  mingle  our  sorrow  with  theirs, 
sincerely  trusting  that  they  may  to  some  degree  be  sustained 
by  increasing  realizations  of  greater  and  greater  achievements 
and  more  widespread  influence  and  progress  of  our  profession 
that  received  at  his  mind  and  hands  the  stimulating  touch  of 
genius  and  of  power.  W.  H.  Eidge 

W.  L.  Rhodes 
W.  Horace  Hoskins 

The  following  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  Pennsylvania  State 
Veterinary  Medical  Association,  March  8,  1910: 

Simplicity  is  one  of  the  greatest  charms  of  man's  nature; 
modesty  ever  sets  as  a  jewel  of  the  most  brilliant  radiance; 
loyalty  to  purpose  and  to  friends  is  the  sweetest  attraction  of 
which  one  may  be  possessed ;  faith  in  others,  forbearance  under 
failure,  are  the  richest  qualities  of  the  fellowship  of  man.  Of 
such  were  the  best  parts  of  Leonard  Pearson's  life,  that  charmed 
every  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Veterinary  Medical 
Association, 

These  were  the  attributes  of  his  remarkable  career,  that  will 
live  in  our  memories  so  long  as  veterinar}^  science  stands  in 
our  commonwealth  among  the  galaxy  of  sciences. 


3tconarli  l^ear^on 


The  theatre  of  his  actions  is  represented  by  the  stage  of 
advancement  of  agriculture,  of  the  wealth  of  animal  industry, 
of  the  growth  of  comparative  medicine,  of  the  worth  of  sanitary 
control  work,  of  veterinary  progress  at  home  and  abroad. 

While  a  nation  mourns  his  loss,  and  sister  nations  of  the 
earth  pay  splendid  and  well-deserved  tributes  to  his  great  achieve- 
ments, this  state,  this  association,  the  centre  of  his  richest  and 
best  work,  is  crushed  by  the  realization  day  by  day  of  their 
great  and  irreparable  loss. 

Let  us,  in  this  hour  of  his  untimely  passing  away,  build  a 
monument  to  his  memory,  by  a  closer  commingling  and  a  firmer 
determination  to  rear  here,  for  veterinary  medicine,  the  great 
structure  his  masterly  mind  conceived,  the  plans  and  speci- 
fications his  creative  genius  fashioned  and  bequeathed  to  us, 
as  the  final  acts  of  his  beautiful  but  crowded  life. 

To  his  devoted  mother,  his  aggrieved  sisters  and  brothers, 
may  we  link  with  their  sorrow  our  sincere  sympathies  and 
pledge  our  devotion  to  the  completion  of  his  consummately 
skilled  plans,  as  a  testimonial  of  the  place  he  filled  in  our 
hearts. 

The   following   resolutions   were   adopted  by  the   Pathological 
Society  of  Philadelphia: 

In  the  death  of  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson  there  has  been  lost  to 
science  a  worker  widely  and  honorably  known,  to  this  state  and 
community  an  untiring,  efficient  and  sound-minded  medical 
official,  to  his  profession  and  school  a  warm-hearted,  s}Tnpathetic 
and  beloved  colleague  and  teacher,  and  to  tliis  organization  an 
associate  whose  membership  had  reflected  honor  upon  the 
society  and  whose  participation  in  our  work  was  uniformly 
profitable,  illuminating  and  inspiring.  Typifying  in  ideal 
manner  the  dignified  modesty  of  the  truly  great,  he  has  by  his 
force  of  character,  his  spirit  of  advancement,  his  readiness  to 
serve  and  his  innate  and  great  ability,  proved  his  riglit  to  be  spe- 
cially honored  by  those  who  have  known  him.  Therefore,  be  it 
7  97 


3Fn  iWiemoriam 


Resolved,  By  the  Pathological  Society  of  Philadelphia  to  set 
aside  a  page  in  its  records  for  this  minute,  expressive  of  our 
sense  of  loss  in  the  death  of  Leonard  Pearson,  our  sincere  sorrow 
and  our  sympathy  with  his  dear  ones  in  their  bereavement. 

Allen  J.  Smith 
W.  M.  L.  CoPLiN 
Joseph   McFaeland 

The  following  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  Pennsylvania  Work 
Horse  Parade  Association,  June  8,  1910: 

Animal  industry  in  its  broadest  sense  knew  no  stronger  sup- 
porter and  advocate  of  its  worth  to  a  state  than  our  late  col- 
league, Leonard  Pearson. 

With  all  the  limitless  wealth  of  this  great  Keystone  State 
hidden  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth  as  mineral  resources  of  untold 
value,  he  conceived  that  truer  and  better  wealth  fostered  and 
encouraged  by  the  hand  of  man  lay  in  the  domain  of  animal 
husbandry. 

This  association,  but  a  single  link  in  the  chain  of  organiza- 
tions for  greater  achievements  among  Pennsylvania's  allied  re- 
sources of  agriculture,  he  supported  and  promoted  with  the 
keenest  interest  and  highest  conception  of  its  possibilities  for 
valued  services  to  the  state  of  his  adoption. 

The  worth  from  a  humane  point  of  view  he  fully  appreciated, 
and  the  value  as  an  educational  factor  for  schooling  horse 
owners  and  users  as  to  suitable  t}7)es  of  animals  for  varied 
fields  of  service,  and  the  encouragement  of  breeding  our  own 
horses  in  the  Keystone  State  held  out  to  him  a  more  than 
sufficient  guarantee  in  multiplying  work  horse  parades  through- 
out our  commonwealth. 

We  shall  miss  his  wise  counsel,  his  warm  sympathy,  and 
grateful  appreciation  so  often  given  and  shown  to  those  to 
whom  he  entrusted  responsibilities  and  cares. 

His  memory  of  splendid  work  well  done  can  best  be  en- 
shrined among  our  people  in  the  maintenance  of  the  Pennsyl- 


HeonarD  ^carjefon 


vania  Work  Horse  Association,  to  fulfil  the  purposes  he  destined 
it  to  accomplish. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Live  Stock  Sanitary 
Board,  held  at  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  October  15,  1909,  the 
following  resolutions  were  adopted : 

Resolved,  That  we  have  heard  with  profound  regret  the 
announcement  of  the  death  of  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson,  State  Veter- 
inarian and  Secretary  of  this  Board; 

Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  Dr.  Pearson  this  board  has 
lost  one  of  its  most  efficient  members  and  the  state  of  Penn- 
Bylvania  has  suffered  the  loss  of  a  valuable  public-spirited  citizen 
and  an  able,  faithful  and  conscientious  public  officer; 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  sent  to  the 
family  of  the  deceased  and  that  the  same  be  spread  upon  our 
minutes. 

The  following  resolution  was  adopted  at  a  staff  meeting  of  the 
Henry  Phipps  Institute,  on  Monday,  September  20,  1909 : 

Whereas,  Information  of  the  untimely  death  of  Professor 
Leonard  Pearson  is  conveyed  to  us  and  we  thus  learn  of  the 
loss  which  the  veterinary  and  medical  sciences  have  thereby 
sustained,  therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  By  the  Staff  of  the  Heniy  Phipps  Institute  that  it 
has  lost  one  of  its  most  valued  friends,  and  the  crusade  against 
tuberculosis,  one  of  its  most  earnest  supporters  and  investigators. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  New  York  State  Veterinary  Medical 
Society,  held  in  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  August,  1910,  the  com- 
mittee on  necrology  made  the  following  report: 

The  committee  on  necrology  has  to  perform  the  sad  duty  of 

officially  calling  the  attention  of  the  society  to  the  loss  it  has 

sustained  during  the  past  year  through  the  death  of  one  of 

its  members  and  of  two  distinguished  leaders  in  the  profession. 

99 


SFn  i^emoriam 


The  phenomena  of  life  and  death  are  constantly  before  us,  but 
not  until  those  who  are  trained  to  do  humane  service  are 
called  to  the  "  Great  Beyond  "  do  we  fully  realize  the  exacting 
demands  of  the  irretrievable  law  that  sooner  or  later  terminates 
all  individual  activity.  There  were  living  among  us  a  year 
ago  those  interested  and  active  in  the  attainment  of  professional 
service  and  ideals,  who  to-day  are  known  only  by  their  works 
and  the  memories  of  their  personal  friendship  and  helpfulness. 
Thus  it  is  that  our  ranks  are  ever  being  broken  and  the  real 
progress  made  by  the  fallen  becoming  cr3'stallized  as  funda- 
mental knowledge  for  the  new  recruits.  In  the  inventory  of 
our  professional  estate  we  should  ever  be  mindful  of  the  two- 
fold origin  of  our  possessions;  the  lesser  of  them  is  found  in 
our  individual  efforts  and  discipline;  the  greater  springs  from 
the  life  work  and  sacrifices  of  others.  In  the  struggle  for 
professional  preferment  there  is  a  tendency  to  forget  the  con- 
stantly increasing  inheritance  that  is  being  handed  down  from 
the  lives  of  other  members. 

As  we  assemble  for  the  first  time  after  the  departure  of  our 
member  and  co-workers,  we  are  depressed  by  a  sadness  that 
words  cannot  express.  In  our  absolute  wonderment  as  to  why 
valuable  young  lives  should  be  striken  out  or  the  years  of  the 
worthy  be  ended,  the  words  of  the  prophet  of  old  that  "  at 
evening  time  it  shall  be  light"  suggest  that  eventually  the 
mysteries  of  life  and  death  may  be  explained.  To-day,  as  we 
mourn  the  loss  of  a  member  and  co-workers,  we  should  be 
mindful  that  by  their  departure  we  are  obliged  to  make  our 
lives  more  valuable  because  of  the  inheritance  they  have  left  us. 

DR.  LEONARD  PEARSON 

Early  in  the  fall  of  1909,  the  news  reached  us  that  Dr. 
Leonard  Pearson  had  died  at  Spruce  Brook,  Newfoundland. 
.  .  .  Possessed  of  a  logical  understanding  of  his  profession 
and  its  needs,  eloquence  and  perfect  clarity  of  expression,  a 
large  intellectual  and  social  sympathy  and  a  dominant  instinct 
100 


Heonarti  l^carjson 


for  progressive  action,  he  was  accorded  a  foremost  place  by  his 
fellows  and  co-workers  in  the  field  of  veterinary  education  and 
practice.  These  same  attributes  won  for  him  a  like  regard  in 
the  deliberations  of  all  bodies  having  to  deal  with  veterinary 
sanitary  science.  His  memory  is  cherished  as  a  man  whose 
life,  though  short,  stands  as  a  notable  example  of  one  who  gave 
his  years  unselfishly  and  devotedly  to  the  upbuilding  of  his 
chosen  profession.  Measured  by  years  his  life  was  short;  by 
achievement,  he  lived  long.  As  a  scientific  veterinarian  in  the 
broad  sense  we  honor  his  memory;  as  a  man  and  co-worker 
we  mourn  his  loss. 

It  seems  fitting  that  this  society  should  spread  upon  its 
minutes  this  expression  of  our  appreciation  of  the  life  and  of 
the  work  of  the  departed,  and  of  our  sorrow  at  the  loss  of  our 
member  and  of  these  distinguished  leaders,  whom  in  life  we 
honored  as  conscientious  workers  and  pioneers  in  their  respective 
fields  of  veterinary  activities. 

V.  A.  MooEE,  Chairman 
Committee  on  Necrology    ^    R.  W.  Ellis 

J.  A.  McCrank 


At  a  meeting  of  the  New  York  County  Veterinary  Medical 
Association,  the  following  resolution  was  unanimously 
adopted : 

Whereas,  The  late  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson   having   been    an 
honorary  member  of  this  society,  be  it 

Resolved,  That  a  record  of  his  death  be  written  in  the  minute 
book,  and  be  it  further 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  three  members  be  appointed 
to  prepare  and  forward  a  message  of  condolence  to  his  bereaved 
brother,  the  Honorable  Raymond  A.  Pearson,  a  copy  of  which 
shall  be  inscribed  in  the  minutes  of  this  association. 
101 


3Fn  ;^emoriam 


The  letter  sent  is  as  follows : 

Hon.  Eaymond  A.  Pearson, 

Albany,  N.  Y. 
Dear  Sir: 

Through  the  death  of  your  brother,  Dr.  Leonard  Pearson,  the 
New  York  County  Veterinary  Medical  Association  has  lost  not 
only  an  honored  member,  but  an  enlightening  and  encouraging 
professional  counsel  and  guide. 

We  hereby  express  our  deepest  sympathy  and  condolence,  at 
the  same  time  consoling  you  with  our  belief  that  the  radiance 
of  Leonard  Pearson's  mortal  acts  will  continue  to  live. 

We  venerate  his  memory. 

Harry  D.  Gill 


{ 


Comnvittee   ^    ^  ttt    -m 

Egbert  W.  Ellis 


The  following  resolution  was  adopted    by    the    Massachusetts 
Veterinary  Association : 

Whereas,  The  Massachusetts  Veterinary  Association  has 
learned  of  the  death,  September  twentieth  last,  of  an  honored 
and  able  member  of  the  veterinary  profession,  Dr.  Leonard 
Pearson, 

Resolved^  That  this  association  deplores  his  death  as  a  great 
loss  to  the  veterinary  profession,  the  scientific  world  and  to 
humanity.     Be  it  further 

Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  entered  upon  the  records 
of  this  association  and  that  a  copy,  together  with  the  sympathy 
and  condolence  of  the  Massachusetts  Veterinary  Association, 
be  sent  to  the  members  of  his  bereaved  family. 

Austin  Peters,  M.R.C.V.S. 
Daniel  Emerson,  M.D.V. 
Francis  Abele,  Jr.,  V.S. 

The  following  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  Minnesota  State 

Veterinary  Medical  Association,  January  31,  1910: 

102 


Eeonarli  ^earjefon 


Whereas,  It  has  pleased  Almighty  God  to  remove,  in  the 
prime  of  useful  life,  one  of  our  most  eminent  and  lovable  col- 
leagues, Dr.  Leonard  Pearson,  be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  Minnesota  State  Veterinary  Medical  Asso- 
ciation spread  upon  its  minutes  as  a  memento  of  love  and  re- 
gard, the  profound  regrets  of  this  association,  and  extend  its 
deep  sympathy  to  his  bereaved  relatives. 

r,     n   ..      n         -aa       f  J.  W.  Cook,  Chairman 
Resolution  Committee  <{    ^    _,    „, 

I   S.  H.  Ward 

The  following  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  Alpha  Psi  Chapter 
of  the  Chi  Psi  Fraternity : 

Whereas,  The  Chi  Psi  Fraternity  and  we,  his  brothers  in 
Alpha  Psi,  have  suffered  a  great  loss  in  the  death  of  Brother 
Leonard  Pearson,  a  true  and  beloved  member  of  the  fraternity, 
now,  therefore,  be  it 

Resolved,  That  in  humble  expression  of  our  sincere  and 
heartfelt  sympathy  for  those  of  kin  afflicted,  we  forward  to  them 
a  copy  of  these  resolutions  and  cause  the  same  to  be  printed  in 
the  Purple  and  Gold. 

Paul  K.  Clymer 
Theodore  White 
Waldemar  0.  Van  Cott 


.^^. 


M 


SF613     In  Kemoriam:   Leonard 

P32         Pearson 

15 


ISaUED   TO 


SF6I3  In  Memoriam:  Leonard  Pearson 

P32 

15 


p^^^! 

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